The 4th report, or: What? I have children?

The morning started out like many other holiday mornings in my parents house: everyone in pj's way too long trying to figure out what to do, and my mom cooking in the kitchen. And then, as is the case on most holidays when stores are open, the women pile into a car and go shopping. Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of shopping anymore - unless there's something I need or am given the opportunity to wander the aisles of a Super Target alone for hours. Another truth be told, I'm not a big fan of dealing with my mother, grandmother or sisters guilt trips. It was just so much easier to give in and shop yesterday. Gratefully, it only lasted a couple hours. For our big 4th party, we went over to the grassy area at my parents church. Everyone brought their own bbq and shared dessert. There were tug-o-wars (even Jacob participated and loved every minute...to my delight he did not actually get trampled by anyone), many balls being thrown and kicked and lots of kids doing lots of running. We showed up at 5ish and I promptly lost custody of Josh. He was passed around all night and loved every minute of it. Jacob decided to hit on every teenage girl in sight, and was in heaven when they gave him the attention he was hoping for. I'm not sure if he thinks he's as old as the people in whatever group he's trying to invade, or if he knows he's younger and cuter and therefore will be the hit of the group. Hmmm... At one point he went up to a group of high school girls playing ball, ran up to one girl, tapped her on the leg while saying "tag" and ran away. It didn't take long before he had 6 teenage girls chasing him all over the lawn the entire night. Masterful, that Jacob. Nathan and I realized we should've just dropped the boys off with my parents and sister and went on a date - we weren't missed until about 9 o'clock when Jacob got weepy and whiny from sheer exhaustion. He snored through the fireworks that mesmerized Josh. All in all, it was a good day and a relaxing night. I love the 4th because I always come home tired from the sun and festivities and thankful for my country. Nathan is working from his LA office the next two days, which is convienently located just blocks away from my dad's office; they're carpooling. Also, my sister is going back to work this afternoon. What does this mean? My "vacation" is officially over. Someone's got to watch these kids, and I lost those teenage girls when the lights went out last night...