4th of July 2009

We had planned to go swimming on the 4th of July, but Mother Nature had other plans for us in Nebraska. Today was cloudy, and the temperature never got above 68 degrees. Definitely NOT swimming weather! So we headed over to the pedestrian bridge that connects Omaha with Iowa. It's about a mile-long walk across the Missouri River, and even though the weather was a bit on the gloomy side, everyone seemed to have a good time.Later on, we joined Grandma Luster (aka Troy's mom) for a patriotic picnic dinner in Fontenelle Hills. Julia does not like the way grass feels, so we made an invisible fence by putting a blanket on the ground. Jules was perfectly content to sit on the blanket and play with her toys while waiting for supper. And speaking of supper, Julia ate macaroni salad, baked beans, a hot dog (don't worry - it was cut into very small pieces) and a hot dog bun, plus her sippy cup of milk. I am still amazed that this 14-month-old eats so much table food, since Evelyn was a completely different story when she was a baby.

Evelyn's Grandpa Luster custom-made a set of three golf clubs for her. She has a driver, an iron and a putter. Each club has a hickory shaft, and the grips are made with purple leather. Evelyn even has purple golf balls. By far the best set around for a certain 5-year-old who loves purple.

This is the first 4th of July holiday where Evelyn had a chance to light fireworks. Evelyn hasn't lived in a place where fireworks are legal, and we haven't been in Nebraska for the past two holidays. Evelyn liked the snappers right off the bat. It took her a little while to warm up to sparklers and the like, but by the end of the evening, she was loving all the sights and sounds of Independence Day.