Last weekend we took a break from our unpacking adventures and headed to Goldsboro, NC to visit Kevin's best friend Rob and his family.  We got there just in time for dinner, and the kids had a blast playing together all evening.

And then, because we had to head back early the next morning for church, us adults stayed up until 2am talking and playing games.  There is nothing quite like the craziness that ensues when Kevin and Rob get together, and it is always fun to be reminded that Rob became another little brother to me the moment Kevin and I got married :).  (Did I really need an extra one?  Wasn't Matthew enough, not to mention Kevin's real little brothers?  He he!)

When we finally decided to head to bed (mostly because Rob had to be up at 6am for an Air Force thing), the boys couldn't even stand up.  They did have enough energy for 2am popsicles though :).

It was such a fun night, and we are looking forward to more fun times with them, especially since they are only 1 1/2 hours away now.

Then for the Fourth of July, we got together with some other good friends.  One of the reasons we were excited to move here, was because Andrew and Jeren were here.  We have known them since Lily was a baby back in Monterrey when Kevin and Andrew were in the same class in Monterrey.  And they were even in Savannah with us, but had just moved to Ft. Bragg.

So, on Saturday we had them over, with their sweet little girl, Emelia.  We had a BBQ and I got to test out Kevin's new grill with a super yummy chicken recipe.  The kids played in a kiddie pool in the backyard, and we had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather.

Later that night, we joined up with one of our neighbors and combined our fireworks to put on a show for the kids.  Before it got dark, we started the kids out with poppers.  They loved throwing them, but even more than that, they liked stepping on the ones that didn't explode at first.  Then there were the cars that didn't move and the creepy snakes I bought not knowing what they were.

(Notice Lily in the "Fourth of July outfit" she put together on her own, along with her "Princess Leia hair" she begged me to do this morning.  So cute!)

Lily and Derek sat with our neighbors' kids at a safe distance and watched the fun, although Derek did end up on my lap after a little while.  It was a blast, and even turned out to be more of a show than we expected, because the house next door and the one behind us had the really good fireworks.  We were a little nervous that they would set a tree or one of our houses on fire, but luckily all ended well.  The kids loved every minute of it, and it was the perfect way to end our day.