We were out the door early this morning to avoid the 4th of July parade road closures in St. Louis. For the next 3-4 hours, our view was mostly rolling hills, quaint farms and miles and miles of corn as we drove north through Illinois and then west into Iowa.
Crossing the Mississippi into Iowa! We arrived at our hotel in Bettendorf, got some quick lunch at Sonic and headed down to the pool to see Chris, Aimee and the kids.
I think Zach has grown another 4 inches and Merritt is now a talkative 3 1/2 year old. She warmed up pretty quickly and had fun playing with the girls in the water.
We crossed another "must-try" treat off of our list with a stop at Whitey's Ice Cream. It was a perfect afternoon treat before driving to DeWitt.
The town water tower
Greg and Sheri hosted everyone at their house for a fun 4th of July get together. Everyone is in town for their son Thomas' wedding to Becca on Saturday. Here is my Grandma Virg with all 7 of her children...Anita, Bill, Mike, Pat, Pam, Greg and Brian.
Grandma stayed up on the porch most of the night. She is in some pain and tires quickly, but I'm so glad we got to see her!
The girls with Cooper, Alan and Brooke's son.
My cousin Angela with her fiancé' Geoff (wedding in Oct)
Geoff and my brother toasting a fun night!
Greg and Sheri live in the house my mom lived in during high school. It was actually Greg's first childhood home!
It isn't a midwest party without corn hole, Hawkeye Corn Hole to be exact!
There was lots of visiting, eating, drinking and game playing before it got dark.
My cousin Melissa and her family. Taylor and Allison were flower girls in their wedding in 2006.
My aunt Cindy with her youngest grandchild, Avery
My cousin Dylan is Avery's proud daddy
Taylor was able to sneak in a few cuddles too!
Allison and Owen were inseparable and so cute. Every time she tried to put him down, he reached up to her!
Aiden and Mia playing the washer game
I wasn't able to get all of the kids together, but this was a pretty good attempt!
Then it was dark enough for sparklers and the fireflies!
Merritt
Jack
My cousin Matt worked with my camera to get this cool shot!
It was the perfect 4th of July with family, BBQ, fireworks and fireflies. We just wish Matt was able to join us!
