This week brought a fun mix of Fourth of July excitement, birthday celebrations, family traditions, and plenty of food. With the office closed on Friday, everyone was looking forward to a three-day weekend, and for our family, the Fourth of July always carries a little extra meaning because it is also Holly’s birthday.
The week leading up to the Fourth of July always feels a little different.
Most people are thinking about cookouts, fireworks, time off, and a long weekend. Around the office, there was definitely some excitement since we were closed on Friday, giving everyone a chance to enjoy a three-day weekend.
For us, the Fourth of July is always more than just a holiday.
It is also Holly’s birthday.
That has made the Fourth a big deal in our house for years. When the boys were younger, it usually turned into an all-day celebration. We would spend the day together, do birthday activities, eat too much food, and then finish the night watching fireworks.
We do not make it to the fireworks as much now that the boys are older, but we still make sure Holly’s birthday feels special.
This year was no different.
Holly and Sam have both recently gotten back into Pokémon cards, so it felt like the natural choice. If you read last week’s update, we had gone to the Pokémon card show in Atlanta, which really showed us how big that world has gotten again.
So this week became all about getting ready for Holly’s birthday.
I thought about trying to do a Pokémon cake. I looked around a little bit and considered it, but Holly had a different idea.
Instead of a cake, she wanted lemon ice box pie.
That is one of the desserts I usually make around Christmas, so it was funny to have it make an appearance in July. But when it is your birthday, you get to pick the dessert.
So lemon ice box pie it was.
Holly also wanted to do something a little different for dinner.
Instead of a traditional cookout, she wanted a chili cook-off.
That made the evening more fun because everyone brought something a little different to the table.
Holly and our friend Crystal made a chicken jalapeño popper chili. My mom made her regular chili, along with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My mother-in-law made a sweeter chili.
So we ended up with three completely different types of chili.
And honestly, they were all good.
That was probably the best part. None of them tasted alike, so people could try a little bit of everything and decide which one they liked best.
Now, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches always get a reaction.
Every time people hear about eating peanut butter and jelly with chili, they look at us like it makes absolutely no sense.
And I understand that.
If you did not grow up eating it, chili and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches probably sounds like a strange combination.
But once people actually try it, most of them end up liking it.
My mom makes them a little differently. She whips the peanut butter together with apple jelly, so the sandwich is smooth, creamy, and sweet.
That sweetness pairs really well with chili, especially when the chili is a little salty or spicy.
It is one of those combinations that sounds odd until you actually have it.
Then suddenly it makes sense.
From the time she woke up, she was ready to enjoy the day.
She was excited about the presents from me and the boys. Then later in the afternoon, when people started coming over, she was excited all over again.
We had a good group at the house, mostly close family and friends.
Nothing too over the top.
Just a comfortable, fun birthday gathering with people hanging around, eating chili, talking, and enjoying the day.
Those are usually the best kinds of celebrations.
They grilled out, ate, hung out by the pool, and spent time with their friends before heading over to the Peachtree City fireworks. Peachtree City always does a big fireworks celebration, and it sounded like they had a good time.
Noah was also in town for the Fourth of July and Holly’s birthday, and Carly’s cats have been making themselves right at home.
He put their cat tree up by the window, and from what I can tell, they have been enjoying it. They have mostly been lounging around, soaking up the sun, and making the most of their new favorite spot.
It is funny how the holiday changes as the kids get older. When they were younger, we were all doing everything together. Now they have their own plans, their own friends, and even cats settling into the house, but everyone still ends up circling back around the same family traditions.
It is about the early days of George Washington, which made it feel like a fitting movie for the Fourth of July weekend.
I enjoyed it.
I thought it was a pretty good movie, and it was interesting seeing a story focused on that earlier part of his life rather than the version most people are more familiar with.
It was a nice addition to the weekend and something a little different to do.
Overall, it was a really good Fourth of July weekend.
We had a little bit of everything.
A long weekend, Holly’s birthday, a Pokémon theme, lemon ice box pie, a chili cook-off, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, family and friends, the boys hanging out by the pool, fireworks in Peachtree City, and even a George Washington movie.
It was busy, but in a good way.
The kind of weekend where everyone had something going on, but it still felt relaxed and fun.
Most importantly, Holly had a great birthday, and that made the whole weekend feel special.
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