4th of July

 On the morning of the 4th of July, we went to Scituate's celebration because Brendan was going to give a speech!  It went really well.  He spoke about the burden placed on soldiers and families back home.  The people in attendance responded really well!  We thought that it might be rained out because it was pouring as we were driving from Marshfield to Scituate but the rain stopped and it cleared up just as we were getting there!!  General Casey also spoke so that was really cool as well although the best thing that happened was that Emmy lost her other front tooth during General Casey's speech!  An elderly woman sitting behind us watched it all unfold and gave Emmy a dollar for being so brave!!
The next day there was an article in the Patriot Ledger that highlighted Brendan's speech - the picture of him was enormous!!

3rd of July

 Mimi and Big Dan had their annual 3rd of July party again and we were so happy that we could be there!!  They got a HUGE bouncy castle that the kids LOVED.  There were tons of people and lots of yummy food - even Gramma and Daddy Jim came down to enjoy that party!  We brought fireworks with us that we picked up along the way in PA and the kids had a great time with the sparklers.  When it got dark we joined all the other people from the town down at Brant Rock beach to light off fireworks.  It was so much fun!!! 

Here's a picture with all the cousins - so far! 
Left to right -
Brody, Emmy, Chase, Mary, Murphy, Bryna, Aoife, Aidan and Grace and Patrick in the front row.

Ice Cream in the Evening

 We finished up the day by walking from Mimi's house to the ice cream parlor by the beach.  Mmmm - a great way to finish up a hot day!!

Boston

 On Monday we went into Boston to walk around Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market and have lunch at the Sail Loft.  It was HOT - not quite as hot as KY this time of year but still - 90 is 90 no matter where you are!  The kids played at Christopher Columbus Park before lunch and worked up an appetite.  They were so hungry that they were extremely well behaved at lunch and they even received compliments on their behavior from the owner!!  After lunch we walked around, watched street performers and got a snack. It was nice to have Nora with us - another set of hands is always appreciated!

Brody's Birthday Party

 We left North Andover on Sunday so that we could get back down to Marshfield for Brody's early 6th Birthday party.  Amanda hired a lady to bring reptiles to the party!  She talked about each one and then let the kids handle the baby alligator and the snake!  It was really cool and the kids LOVED it!!

Visiting North Andover

 After a few days in Marshfield, we went up to North Andover to spend some time with Gramma and Daddy Jim. We went swimming in a pond, went to the park, played outside, had lobsters and went to BBQ for dinner.  I think we visited on the hottest days of the entire summer!!