June ended with our trip to Michigan to help Adam and Rachel move out of their house there. They brought their truck load of furniture to Clinton, Iowa, but they were not able to move into their house there until July 8. So they were sort of homeless for a week. Abby was eager for some company because Neil was gone for his class, so she took them in for the first couple of days, and they had fun with her in Chicago. Then on the 3rd they drove up to Brookfield and spent the next several days with us.
The 3rd of July in Brookfield means that it's time to go stake out your spot for the big parade on the 4th. (We have never actually done this until just the last two years when the Wissinks were with us. It's the best way to make sure that you have a spot right on the curb, the best spot for getting candy, etc. that is thrown out.) We couldn't believe how much of the space had already been taken, but Adam and Rachel were able to find a good spot large enough for our little group.
The 4th of July was a beautiful day for the parade, and Jeremiah was very excited about it. He remembered it from last year, when he gave it rave reviews!
Waiting for the parade to begin
Hope dancing in the street--some
pre-parade entertainment
Time to come and sit down....
....and watch the parade.
Fruit snacks!
We went to watch the fireworks in Elm Grove, just like we did last year. Adam and Hope stayed home--they didn't think Hope would appreciate the fireworks enough to make it worthwhile to keep her up past her bedtime.
Jeremiah's "Statue of Liberty" pose
Kind of a strange glow around his neck
Wirth Park pool has become a favorite spot with Jeremiah and Hope. And to say that Hope likes the little slide would be major understatement! She would have gone up and down all day!
And I owe Jeremiah an apology, because I did not get a single picture of him at the pool. Maybe he was in the big pool with his Dad or maybe playing in the sand area when I was taking my pictures. Sorry, J!
We made a visit to the Brassers one morning.
Hope loved running around in their big back yard.
Jeremiah found some treasures while exploring in the basement---Ben's soccer trophies! He chose two that he wanted to bring home with him, and we got Uncle Ben's permission for that. But he actually forgot to take them when they left--I don't think Rachel was too disappointed about that.
One evening we went to take a walk at the lakefront. The weather was a bit "iffy" when we got there, but we did manage to get a walk in without getting rained on.
But the clouds were rolling in when we were
walking back to the car.
Just a couple more shots of Hope:
A Hope and Grandma selfie
On Friday, the 8th, the Wissinks were able to get into their house in Clinton, but not until about 3 p.m. So we all headed to Clinton at about noon, and got there right about the time that they could get into the house.
Bob and his co-pilot on the way to Clinton
Adam's two bosses and their families were on hand to help with the unloading and unpacking, which was great! We stayed around until the truck was unloaded, the kitchen stuff was unpacked, and they all had beds to sleep in. And of course we enjoyed some Pizza Ranch pizza for dinner! Unfortunately I did not take a single picture of the whole move-in process or of their new home. :(
Next post: California kids arrive!
