Emma all dolled up in patriotic colors

We had a great 4th of July. I invited some people over for a little party and I thought it went very well. It was small and the food was yummy. Everyone brought something which made it fairly easy.

Billy was a big help. Over the last three days he has mowed, weed eated, pressure washed the whole house and spent time with us going to the lake. We both miss the money he made when he was working 40 plus hours a week but it’s been wonderful for him to have all these three day weekends. He gets a lot done and has a day where he can spend time with us without feeling like he should be doing something else.

The in-laws came to the party yesterday, too. I haven’t been by their house in two weeks. I was kind of waiting to see if MIL would make any attempts to do anything with us on her own but she didn’t of course. Billy went over there yesterday to borrow their bigger deep fryer (we made chicken wings PW style – yum!).

His mom asked him if I was mad at her since I hadn’t been over for awhile. Instead of embracing the opportunity to be honest with his mother, he said no but that it’s just harder for me to take the girls over while pregnant. She had to know this was a distortion of the truth since I go and do stuff all the time. She told him she had never once thought about it being difficult. *rolls eyes* I wish he would have just told her that we would like it if they would initiate once in awhile. Maybe he could have asked her what type of relationship she wants to have with our kids because it seems right now they are content for us to always come to them or to come here for very short visits.

He has some major issues with being honest and handling confrontation of any sort. I can’t count the number of times where I have felt he should have stood up for me or for the girls but he sat there in silence.

Oh, well, enough of that. Nothing will ever change and basically it is their loss. My girls don’t beg to see them the longer I go without visiting.

I was going to take them to Sunday school at that church we’ve been going to this morning but my stomach is hurting and Cate woke up very cranky and emotional. We have to go to the store for a few things but that’s it. The good thing about Sunday school is you don’t have to be there till 9:45. I’m half tempted to try the church service afterward and see what that’s like.

Cate and her cousin Trevor beating on the fence

They get along wonderfully. He’s actually 9 months older than Emma and kind of spoiled in my opinion but he’s not my kid so whatever. He kept “accidentally” hitting them. Ugh. I really have a very low tolerance for bratty kids that are over indulged by their parents.