Our Fourth of July weekend was pretty jam-packed and we were grateful to be able to carve out some time to enjoy the holiday. The fun kicked off Thursday (July 4th) afternoon with a family walk around a new park we’d never been to. It was hot, but too beautiful not to be outside.
Actually, one of our favorite parts (partly because it was completely shaded) was a tunnel that went under the road. Clara could’ve spent all day in there.
It’s where we got this cool shot we posted on Instagram that day.
Oh, but did we mention it was hot?
After we got home, cooled down, and napped (well, Clara napped) we walked over to a neighbor’s house for a little BBQ. It made us feel quite welcome to the neighborhood to have already been invited to a get-together like this. And Clara had fun running around their backyard with another little girl/her new best friend.
But our 4th fun didn’t stop there. Around 8 o’clock (Clara’s usual bedtime) we headed out to meet up with my family, who was gathered to watch some local fireworks. There were going to be fireworks after the Squirrels baseball game, so we camped out (with tons of other people) in the nearby parking lot of the Science Museum to anxiously await the end of the 9th inning. This was among the ways we kept ourselves entertained. You know, just making weird faces and picking a winner (Todd won in case you’re wondering).
By that time the fireworks were over it was nearly 10pm, so we called it a night so we could all get some rest before more guests arrived the next morning. Clara’s cousins Elsa and Edison (along with their parents, of course) came to hang out for the day and become our official first overnight guests in the new house.
It was a pretty low-key day. We played on the deck. We went to lunch. The girls ate lemons. We played outside some more.
Oh yeah, and we all took advantage of the free friends & family night at the local pool that evening.
The festivities ramped right up again the next morning, which just happened to be my sister Katie’s birthday (she and her fam had come down from New York for the weekend). We offered to host a casual birthday breakfast in our oh-so-beautiful kitchen.
I even got up early and “decorated.” Okay, so I just made one of my mom’s traditional birthday signs. I blurred her age out as a courtesy. But I didn’t blur the 80’s Bon Jovi picture I added to the banner (she was a big JBJ fan back in the day).
Things didn’t get much fancier when it came to the food. We whipped up some pancakes and scrambled eggs while my family contributed some other yummy stuff. We appreciated the excuse to use up some leftover party plates.
The morning was an interesting test to see how well our home functioned with six kids under age four running around. Don’t be fooled by this calm picture of them, it was a bit of a madhouse. But they had fun and the house survived just fine. As did Burger.
When breakfast wrapped up and we wished our morning guests on their way (Elsa and her family went home to Northern Virginia) we enjoyed a bit of downtime before our next round of visitors came by. Sherry’s brother Dan (aka Uncle Monkey), his wife Ali, and their dog Sasha came down from New Jersey for a quick visit which included, among other things, a trip to one of our favorite parks.
Clara is getting old enough that our walks involve more of her actually walking than being pushed (somewhere her stroller is shedding a single tear). But I kinda like it because it means more exploring.
Although it also sometimes means more routes that aren’t stroller friendly. So when Clara ditches her ride halfway through our walks, I end up doing things like this.
Stroller or not, we had quite a fun visit from Sherry’s fam. And I seriously don’t think Clara could love her Uncle Monkey more.
Dan, Ali and Sasha hit the road the next morning to try to beat the end-of-holiday traffic, which meant we were left with a day to ourselves for the most part. Which was nice because that day just happened to be our wedding anniversary. But that’s a story for another post…
Martha says
ALERT! Sherry in shorts!
Amy says
And looking great!!
Steph Nelson says
Such a fun, family filled weekend! I’m a bit jealous!! :)
Pretty parks you guys have there!
Lindsay says
Clara has the cutest bathing suits! I wish I was that skinny :)
Dana says
You wish you were as skinny as a toddler?? I’m guessing you meant Sherri’s suit :)
Julianne says
I love it when you guys post pics of around Richmond. Never been to Virgina, but it’s looking like an enticing place to vacation!
Heather says
I’m visiting Richmond in a two weeks with my 9-year-old. I would love to visit some of the parks you talk about! We’ve been to Maymont, but not much else. Any recommendations?
Young House Life says
We love Maymont, but we also have fun at Pony Pasture (it has awesome trails by the river), Robius Landing Part, and Forest Hill Park. All three have great trails and paths for walking as well as pretty scenic things to enjoy.
xo
s
Alana says
I have a question about Kark: in your moving post, you mentioned that he was adjustable, that pieces could be removed and such. Does that mean you can even switch the lounge to other side? I have been thinking about getting the same couch, but I need the mirror image of Karl (when he was old at your old house). Or do you need to order the couch exactly the way you need it.
Alana says
Karl*
Young House Life says
Yes, it can move onto either side (both arms come off and the add-on chaise can move around).
xo
s
Natalie says
When you notice that the post says …”The girls at lemons” instead of ‘ate lemons’ I immediately thought I bet John wrote this post haha #typolife
Young House Life says
Ha! Guilty as charged…
-John
Becky says
That tunnel looks very much like the tunnel in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where Harry and Dudley are attacked by dementors. :D
Jennie says
I thought this too!
Krithiga says
I love the girls matching hairstyles! (in the lemon eating picture!) So cute and cousin-y! Did they ask for it ?
Young House Life says
Yup, Elsa’s mom did both of their hair that morning. They loved it.
xo
s
Amy says
Sherry, I love the color and style of your swimsuit! Where did you get it?
Young House Life says
Thanks! It was on clearance from jcrew.com a few months back.
xo
s
Brenda says
I loved seeing all the Instagram pics over the weekend, and I love the traditional birthday sign! You’re never too old for birthday traditions.
Elaine K says
When my kids were little we watched fireworks from the diamond and Dogwood Dell from part of Riverside Dr which was closed for the occasion. Don’t know if they still do that or not, but it was a great place to watch both sets of fireworks.
Jessica says
They still do that!
Erin K. says
I saw you guys at the “local pool” a few weeks back. My husband told me I should ask for your autograph because I was so excited. Needless to say, I did not ask :)
Young House Life says
Aw, we would have loved to say hi! Next time for sure!
xo
s
Mary says
I love that you capitalized the “n” in Northern Virginia like it’s an actual, separate state. I think that definitive title is exclusivly written/spoken by people who live in Virginia!
Young House Life says
Ha! It’s true!
xo
s
linda says
did you come across an dementors???? :o)
linda says
oops…. typo… ANY
Young House Life says
Haha, thankfully we didn’t!
xo
s
Dawn SC says
Glad you had so much fun! Our almost 2 year old is also into exploring through walking. And, like you, we also either end up carrying the stroller when he doesn’t want to ride any more when we bring it, or carrying the adorable sack of potatoes when he gets too tired and we didn’t bring the stroller. Oh well, I’m sure he won’t want to be held in a few years, so I’ll try not to complain about my aching arms (even though I still will!). :)
JAN says
What a nice family you have. It is important to make many happy memories in your new house. I see you are off to a good start.
I can’t believe the orange paint in the den though. Do you know what color paint you will use in that room?
Young House Life says
No idea yet! We want to whitewash the brick and paint the wood paneling and beams glossy white, but for the walls we have no idea what color we’ll go with. Should be fun to see where we end up!
xo
s
Sara says
I’m glad that you specified that your sister was a JON Bon Jovi fan, and not just a Bon Jovi fan…because y’know…that abbreviation could have been a little awkward… ;)
Young House Life says
Hahahahaha!
xo
s
bryanna s says
Clara’s dress in those last pics (the blue to yellow one) is so pretty! Where did you get it? Is it still for sale? I have my own little Clara who would look adorable in it (and another girl who would probably love her own… )
Young House Life says
That’s from Target a while back (around mid-May). Maybe they still have it online?
xo
s
Jennifer says
I love seeing all of the work you guys put into your home, but it is so great seeing you getting some down time over the long weekend.
Young House Life says
Aw, thanks Jennifer :)
xo
s
Stephanie M. says
It definitely looked like y’all had a fun filled weekend. I’m SO jealous of your gorgeous weather on the 4th though! It was a complete washout here in TN.
I’m loving all the beautiful park areas y’all have. We need to go exploring for fun places in our area more.
Lesley says
As soon as I saw the pic of Burgmeister looking all hot, it reminded me of a tip I saw recently. If you put the back side of your hand on the pavement for 7… maybe 9 seconds to see if you can stand it, that should give you a good sense of if it is too hot for a dog’s paws.
I tried it recently with all of this heat and realised just how warm it gets for them, and try to redirect my pup to a cooler location especially if I am stopping for a bit.
My PSA for the day.
Young House Life says
Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
shell says
Such a cliffhanger at the end of this post! :)
jeannette says
pancakes, a new BFF, five cousins, uncle monkey AND A NEON SKIRT???? life is good.
Young House Life says
So good.
xo
s
Krissy says
I love the girls’ matching pigtails in the lemon-eating picture!!
Chloe Minyon says
Isn’t Midlothian Mines awesome?! It’s right in my neighborhood! I used to walk around the water when I was pregnant (6 years ago)- it’s changed so much, but still SO pretty. You should check out Woodlake Pavilion off of Hull Street – my daugther loves it there.
Young House Life says
Sounds like fun! Thanks Chloe!
xo
s
Megan says
My daughter loved my brother too, I just love a girl and her uncle’s relationships. My brother passed away two years ago, a week before my daughter’s 2nd birthday. He loved her more than anything and vice versa. She has so many of his personality traits that I hate how he was taken away so suddenly (cancer sucks). Enjoy the family time as much as possible. He was my only sibling and I envy those with large families.
Young House Life says
Oh Megan, I’m so sorry for your loss.
xo
s