Five On Friday: Fourth of July Edition

Happy 4th of July to all of my (American) family and friends! Just a quick "Five On Friday" post for today so I can go get the par-tay started with my people. 

[ONE].

Ugggggghhhh!!! Our upstairs air conditioning unit broke earlier this week, which will require replacement of the ENTIRE system (aka mucho, mucho moolah). Being the glass-is-half-full kind of Momma that I am, I chose to focus on the positives from the situation: (1) Since all the kiddos' bedrooms are upstairs, Banks and Raleigh got to have a super fun pallet sleepover in the den downstairs. They loved it and may or may not have been dancing together and laughing hysterically at 10:00 pm that night [aka WAY past their bedtimes!], (2) I got to look over and see Harrison's sweet face in the middle of the night, since he was camped out in our room, (3) To get out of the sweltering upstairs heat, I took the kiddos to Target. And who doesn't love that?!, (4) It was the perfect excuse for an ice cold beer...or two...

A tired but happy momma, a passed out baby in the Bjorn, and two delirious kiddos, walking the Target aisles.

[TWO].

Despite the AC shenanigans, we had a fun time this week, including a poolside playdate with some very sweet friends as well as a special "Preschool Playdate" for Banks and his same-aged neighborhood buddies, hosted by the activities director just for the neighborhood kiddos. Man, I love summertime 'round these parts! My hub also had Daddy Dates with both Banks and Raleigh this week, which just melted my heart. First, he took Banks on an hour-long nature walk through the woods, where they found the perfect walking sticks, followed deer tracks, observed rabbits crossing the path, and asked/answered approximately 8,963 questions. :) He then took Raleigh to buy her most favorite thing on the planet: new shoes. He let her pick out the pair of her choice, and she selected pink Sperrys, which she proudly wore for two days straight--morning, noon, and night. :) 

[THREE].

For the first time in 8 weeks, my hub did not have ANY overnight trips this week. None. Zip. Zilch. Zero. It was SO nice to have him home each night! Oh, and we snuck away for a 10-year anniversary dinner at the start of the week, heading to our favorite Charlotte restaurant (Cowfish--so, so good!) while all three kiddos stayed home with two sitters. Yep. You read that right. Two sitters. Given that Harrison is just two months old and not yet on a regular schedule, I asked that our sitter bring a friend so that one could focus on him and one could focus on the other two. It worked out great! And fun was had by all!

[FOUR].

Harrison had a great week! He is doing so, so, so much better these days! He just loves to smile and talk and watch his mobile and do tummy time and snuggle. Although he is not always the best napper, with most naps lasting about 20 minutes each, he will usually give me at least one good nap, lasting an hour or two. He is also getting closer to sleeping through the night, giving us 6 to 7 hour stretches most nights before waking for a quick nursing session or pumped bottle and then going back to sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. At the time I wrote this, this was the case. But then on Wednesday night, he slept from 8:00 pm to 5:30 am, nursed, and then went back to sleep for 2 more hours. Yeehaw! Here's hoping he keeps it up! I just adore this little boy with all my heart. 

[FIVE].
We have big plans for today, with my parents and "in laws" all coming to town for the weekend to help celebrate the 4th! My neighborhood hosts an AWESOME pool party, complete with adult and kiddie beverages, adult and kiddie games, music, food, swimming, socializing, and celebrating. After the pool shindig, there's an after party, too, which will include a live band, craft beer, a couple food trucks, and a full fireworks show. Have I mentioned I love my neighborhood? Have I mentioned I am ALWAYS recruiting family and friends to come visit (or even better, move to) Fort Mill? Ha! Needless to say, I can't wait for all the fun going down in just a few hours as well as the rest of the weekend, which will be spent soaking up time with our parents and getting in lots of playtime with my three favorite kiddos.

And with that, it's off to the pool par-tay for this crew. Here's wishing you a Happy 4th and a weekend full of fun with family, friends, and fireworks. Cheers!