Silver Linings

Waking up in Ohio on the Fourth of July was not at all what we had planned for the holiday. It wasn't even what we had planned on the 3rd, but things had changed so quickly with my momma's condition (more or that in my weekly update) that spending the Fourth of July with our family was just one of the many silver linings to our impromptu Ohio trip. 

After a late start to the morning we decided to try to cheer ourselves up a bit by getting the kids dressed in the patriotic outfits we had for them and they sure did look adorable:

Since my mom was resting at the hospital, we took the kids down to the Struthers Fourth of July Parade on Fifth Street with my in-laws and the Georges. Tenley enjoyed watching the parade while sucking on lollipops; however she didn't like the loud firetrucks at the end:

After the parade, Ed and I went to visit my mom for a bit while she continued to recover from her open heart surgery. Seeing her in such pain was by far the hardest thing I've ever been through. I felt so helpless. Of course, she was being her selfless/stubborn self and refused to use her coughing bear because she didn't want to expose it to germs because she wanted to give it to Tenley. I mean, when she told me that I almost lost it. We'll treasure you forever, Sir Koff-A-Lot:

While Ed and I were at the hospital the kids had fun with Ed's family:

When I got home I walked into this scene and just had to take a picture:

(FYI: my mother-in-law was standing behind the couch instructing them that they had the diapers on backwards and it sounded sort of like this, "flip it around! No, turn it around! Yes, tabs in the back!" I was dying!!)

I got a picture of the kids with GiGi and Great Grandpa Ed:

Wes was so exhausted that he took a cat nap before bath time:

After putting the twins to bed, we walked over to Uncle Ray's for some fireworks with the fam, but first we had to stop and smell Grammy's beautiful hydrangeas. While smelling them, I got the sweetest hug and kiss from my Tenley Bear (boy, did I need that!):

Everyone could finally breath a bit now that mom was doing a little better and we were all just so, so happy to be together that we had so much fun at Ray's. The kids had a blast throwing snappers with their Uncles and cousins, they loved Uncle Ray's 97483083 smoke bombs, catching lightening bugs, lighting fireworks and playing with sparklers:

Despite the circumstances, this was the greatest Fourth of July I've ever had...mom was on the mend, I was with my family and my kids were bonding with their family. It doesn't get much better than that folks!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!