Kamden's FIRST Independence Day!

Not only did Kamden turn 10 Months old today... but it's also his very first Independence Day! We had a nice, relaxing 4th of July weekend. I had a four day weekend, so I was able to spend a lot of quality time with Mr. Kam. I loved every minute of it.

On Friday, I got a glimpse of what it might be like to be a stay at home mom. One thing I remember missing on maternity leave is watching Dr. Oz while Kamden takes his mid-morning naps.

Yesterday, we woke up bright and early to go have family pictures made at our family's apple farm. We took a four generations shots with Kamden's 88 year old great-grandfather, my dad, my brother, and my nephew. They turned out great! Kamden starting eating an early June apple he picked up off the ground. He was tearing into that thing! We spent the rest of the day with the Lyda family and also at the pool with my sister and her kids as well. It was a nice day to catch up with family I don't get to see as much. The lodge had fourth of July Olympics and we all participated. It was a very FUN day!

Today, the three of us hit up the Elks Pool again. Believe it or not, it was actually dead. I wonder what everyone else did for the holiday? We actually were able to get a picnic table with an umbrella and a few chairs of our own. Sometimes that is hard to do. We had a great family day together. This was much needed quality time together, since Keith and I have been so wrapped up in work and summer school lately. There was hardly anyone in the pool, so it almost felt like we had it all to ourselves.

About 4 o' clock, Kamden and I left Keith at the pool to study, to go watch Kamden's grandparents be in the parade in downtown Hendersonville. As soon as we left, little man was so exhausted he fell asleep instantaneously. From the pool, to Main street was only about three blocks and he was zonked out. I got him out of his car seat and transferred him to his stroller and he still managed to sleep through it all. Even when the parade started, and the sirens from the police and firetrucks didn't even wake him up. I almost wish he was awake to see all the action... I know he would have loved it. But one thing I have learned as a new mom... is never wake a sleeping baby! haha. But he did wake up the last two minutes, so I took him to Marble Slab Creamery to get some ice cream to cool off. We had sweet cream with fresh strawberries and blueberries... and he loved it! (so did I, hehe)

One thing that hit me today, is that people are more talkative when you have a baby with you. People in passing will always smile, wave, or comment on your child. It really gives me a warm, fuzzy, feeling inside. I'm still like the rest of Mommy's out there-- that cringe inside when strangers tough my baby. I've also never had so many conversations with little people under the age of 5. All the children we run into at the pool, downtown, or wherever we go-- always stop to check Kamden out. They talk to him and ask me a lot of questions. It really is the cutest thing. After out downtown adventure, we went back to play at the pool for a little while longer.

Once we left the pool, we stopped by Kamden's other mammaw Joyce's house for a BBQ dinner. It was nice. She has a house out by a mini lake, so we got some really great shots of Kamden playing outside. Although, he was still pooped from the long day at the pool-- so he really wasn't up for picture taking.

We got home long enough to get cleaned up, and head out again for fireworks. We were going to go to downtown Asheville (the city) to watch the display, since it is the closest. Then Keith came up with a really great idea to watch it from a nearby parking lot so we could avoid the crowds, traffic, and loud booms in Kamden's ears. It was peeerrrfect. We popped the gate and hung out with all the other families and kids around. We snacked and waited for the fireworks to start. They were so far away that Kamden couldn't focus on what was going on... but he tried! I wish we were a little closer just so I could see his reaction. The loud noises might not have been such a good idea though, so we were happy with the way it turned out. After 20 minutes, there was a big pause in the fireworks show. There was no grand finale. Everyone just assumed it was over. We had already stopped by McDonalds for a snack and made it back home before the show was actually finished. We didn't know this until we flipped on the local news, to find out that there had been a 30 minute break because of the fireworks caught the grass on fire by the courthouse. At least it wasn't a total loss!

I'm looking forward to another day off with Kamden tomorrow. I've enjoyed these past four days with him. Makes me miss him even more when I'm at work. Next year, I think we have decided to start a traditional camping trip every fourth of July, like my family did when I was a kid. Even though we didn't have any special plans this year... Kamden made every minute spectacular in itself. Wishing you all a Happy Fourth!