Parade, Fireworks, and Dirt!!!

I love to watch Ainsley get excited and enjoy things.  If she gets really excited, she'll clap her little hands as hard as she can and grin from ear to ear.  Those are the best times!  She got excited over a couple things over the 4th of July holiday.

We took her to the parade on Wednesday morning.  It was very hot out, but we were able to find a nice shady spot.  It only would have been better if there would have been a breeze.  Ainsley didn't mind the sirens or any of the loud noises.  She just watched everything go by and would get excited every once in awhile if there was music or something else that caught her attention.  I even caught her dancing in her stroller at one point to the music from one of the floats!

Waiting for the parade to start....and pulling the bow out!

Beads!!!

The little cars always crack me up.  I don't know how they drive around in circles without eventually getting dizzy!  You can always count on seeing Joel's cousin Jon driving around in one of them.

It was so hot out that a few people handed out popsicles instead of traditional candy. 

Ryder and Drake enjoying their popsicles

I've never been to a "big city" parade, but I'm assuming they don't have a line of tractors at the end of their parades.  (They probably don't have horses, either.)  You can count on a good 5 minutes of tractors at the end of a parade around "home". 

The parade was a success with Ainsley and it was good to get out of the house.  I hope she continues to enjoy parades and doesn't start getting scared of the sirens, etc.

Ainsley and Drake enjoying some parade candy

After the parade, we went home and Ainsley took a 2 1/2 hour nap!  I may or may not have laid down for a couple hours with her...She woke up still groggy, and I knew she wouldn't last until it was time for fireworks that night.  I ended up giving her a bath and putting her pajamas on her before heading to Jacksonville to watch the fireworks.  Sure enough, she fell asleep on the way, so we put her in her stroller so she could sleep until the fireworks started.

Waiting for the fireworks to start

I woke her up right at 9:30, which is the time the fireworks were scheduled to start.  We waited, and waited, and waited for them to start and Ainsley started getting restless.  She wanted to run around and didn't want to sit still.  It would have been fine, if we weren't in a public park surrounded by people and if it wouldn't have been dark and if she would have had her shoes on, but since all of those things were factors, I had to walk around with her on my hip trying not to step in a hole and rolling my ankle.  After 15-20 minutes of this, the fireworks finally started.  Ainsley loved them (for a few minutes, anyway)! 

Ainsley and Daddy watching fireworks

Dyche family watching fireworks

She would clap her hands and make her "oooo" face.  I found myself watching her more than the actual fireworks!

After a few minutes, she wanted off Daddy's lap so she could run around, which wasn't going to happen.  We packed up, and started walking back to the car.  The fireworks were still going off when we got back to the car, but at least we beat the traffic getting out of South Jacksonville on our way home since we left so early!

The ditch behind our house has needed some attention ever since we moved in, and it's finally getting it!  With all the road construction going on, one of the roads going into Chapin is going to be eliminated, and an access road is being built, which will come out close to the end of our street.  They're fixing our ditch while they work on the access road.  The guys started digging and laying some sort of pipe earlier this week and they're almost done with it.   Ainsley loved going down in the ditch the other night and playing in the dirt.

There were kids out on the ball field playing, so she had to go right up to the fence to watch them.   It was so funny to watch her try to go back down the "hill" to get back to the house.  She was too scared to walk down it, and kept trying to get on all fours to back down it.  I finally had to grab her hand and walk down with her.

Trying to get down the "hill"

Mom-how do I do it?!?!

I'll just play in the dirt....

I don't like that either....trying to get the dirt off her hands!

She loves to play in the landscaping rock around the house.  Does Daddy like it when she plays in the rock?  Not so much!  Oh well, it keeps her occupied for a few minutes.

Love her little hands!

She likes to run up and down our front porch, but it makes me nervous.  She gets so close to the edge of the porch and has almost fallen off of it numerous times. 

Giving Daddy "five"

Where's Ainsley????

Peek-a-boo!

A late night on the 4th to watch fireworks followed by a day at Lisa's equalled one exhausted baby!  She was looking at her book when we pulled out of Lisa's driveway yesterday afternoon and I looked back a few minutes later and she was out.  The book was still in her hands and everything!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Ainsley hopes everyone had a great 4th of July and stayed cool! (Longer post in the next few days on Ainsley's 2nd 4th of July).

4th of July weekend

Today was a lazy day, but Friday night and Saturday were busy for us.  We packed up and headed down to Dad's Friday night so I could go to bunco.  I have to say that it's nice to get out of the house one night a month and hang with the girls without husbands and kids. 

While I was at bunco, Joel and Ainsley stayed at Dad's.  Tanner and Joel decided to go frog gigging right as it got dark, so Emilee (Tanner's girlfriend) came over to watch Ainsley for an hour and a half while they were gone.  Joel said Ainsley ran right over to Emilee when she got there and wanted Emilee to pick her up.  I guess she fell asleep shortly after Joel and Tanner left, so Emilee didn't have to do much.  Ainsley had two new babysitters in less than a week and did fine with both of them.  I'm glad she's good with "going with the flow" and staying with different people.

I got up Saturday morning and headed to Alton to get Ainsley some new shoes and look for a dress for Mom's wedding.  I was able to find both, although, Joel didn't approve of the shoes I bought for Ainsley, so those are going to go back.  Ainsley stayed at Dad's with Joel while I went to Alton and he said that she got to the point of running around the house acting like she owned the place.  She likes playing in the ball pit at Grandpa's and her hair had a lot of static while she was in it!

While airing up the air mattress Friday night, Joel and Tanner bounced on it with Ainsley.  I wasn't there to get on them, but while letting the air out of it Saturday afternoon, they decided to do it again.  One would jump on the mattress while Ainsley was sitting on it and it would make Ainsley bounce up in the air.   Here's a video of her cracking up while Joel jumps on one end of the mattress and she bounces up while Uncle Tanner catches her.  I sent out a different video earlier this afternoon to some people where Ainsley flew a little higher and Uncle Tanner didn't quite catch her.  Joel says if we have a little boy next, he's going to do all sorts of things, but he's a little more careful with his "princess".  I'm convinced I'll have a heart attack watching some of the things I'm sure our little boy will do!  Of course, after I said enough to Ainsley bouncing on the mattress, Joel and Tanner had to do it to each other.  They both thought it was pretty funny until Joel flew off of the mattress and landed on the floor!

We went over to Mom and Mark's Saturday afternoon to let Ainsley swim.  She enjoyed the water and watching the other kids swim.  I even got her to kick her legs while floating around. 

Floating around makes me tired!

Happy girl!

She finally got tired and started nodding off in the pool, so I got her out. 

Blowing Grandma kisses

Joel and Tanner took the paddle boat out for a cruise.  At one point, they were stopped under the dock and Joel was trying to catch a catfish with his hands.  The things boys try to do....

Last night Sunset Lake set off their fireworks and Lou and Alaina had a get together before the fireworks.  Hadlee was happy to see Ainsley and got excited and waved to her when we walked in.  She's such a happy little baby!

Mommy and Hadlee

It was really hot outside, so I spent most of the time inside.  The guys braved it outside, though.

Daddy and Ainsley....of course, Joel is talking!

The cooks....Joe and Lou

Grandpa Steve with Hadlee

Ainsley giving Lou kisses

Ainsley liked playing with the water balloons with the other kids, but Jillian didn't like that Ainsley kept busting or dropping them.  

Jillian is the keeper of the balloons!

Uh oh-Ainsley stole another one!

Blake tried throwing one at his Dad, but Matt didn't like that idea very much.  Needless to say, he didn't end up doing it.

Blake was ready to fire!

We tried getting a picture of all the kids (minus Trenton and Ella....not sure where they were).  Of course, there will always be that one kid who won't sit still and it was ours.  She didn't want to be on the couch.  Oh well....

Ben, Jillian, Blake, Hadlee, Ashlyn, and Ainsley July 2012

This one cracks me up!  Jill is like "Oh no" and notice Ainsley isn't in the picture?!

Yep, that's my kid throwing a fit.  Ashlyn and Hadlee are wondering what she's doing while Jill and Blake just keep on smiling!

Katie was smart and brought glow sticks for the kids.  Ainsley liked her bracelet!

Time for glow sticks

There were fireworks going off every once in awhile throughout the night and Ainsley didn't mind the "boom".  She made her "Oooooo" face every time one went off.

 
The fireworks started at dusk, and we decided to try to watch them with Ainsley.  We had to drive to the marina to see them because the trees blocked the view from the Hallock's.  She was getting tired, and was okay for the first few minutes but then wanted out of her stroller.  I let her out and thought the fireworks would be starting any minute, so she'd be okay running around for a few minutes while we waited for the show to start.  Boy, was I wrong!  She took off right for the lake and screamed every time I would bring her back to where everyone was sitting.  We decided it would be best to just head home.  She threw a pretty good fit getting in her carseat and finally ended up falling asleep outside of Modesto.  Needless to say, we didn't get to see the fireworks.  

Ainsley didn't wake up when we got home, and I even brought her in the house, changed her diaper, and put her pajamas on.  She slept until 9:30 this morning, and that was so nice.  I think Mommy and Ainsley both needed the extra sleep!

I thought it was going to be a great day after sleeping in, but it quickly turned into a typical day in the Freeman house where everything is chaotic.  I put Ainsley in the bathtub an hour or so after getting up, since she didn't get one before going to bed last night.  I was brushing my teeth while she played in the tub, and the next thing I know, Ainsley is standing up holding onto the side of the tub just kind of looking at me like "uh-oh" and started whining a little. I walked over to try to figure out what was wrong, and looked down to see she had pooped in the bathtub!  Joel was in Bluffs, so I had to tackle that one alone, and it wasn't how I wanted to start out my morning!

Ainsley loves to go in our closet and play with the clothes, shoes, and mirror.  I was able to get her dancing and giving herself kisses in the mirror on video.  Check out her awesome dance moves in this video.

Ainsley is always very interested in watching me take out or put my braces in.  I have the Invisalign braces, so they're more like trays that I have for my top and bottom teeth.  She watches very intently when I take them out.   Yesterday I had taken them out at Mom's and laid them on the table.  I was sitting on the couch talking to Mark, not paying much attention to Ainsley when Mark says:  "What does she have?"  I look over and Ainsley is walking toward me with both of my trays and trying to put them in her mouth!  She had one part way in and once I took that one away from her, she tried putting the other one in!  I cracked up!  It's so funny that she knew what they were and what to do with them, although, I'm very glad she didn't break them!!!

Another new thing she's become interested in is watching you go to the bathroom.  She'll stand at my knees while I go and watch everything I do.  As soon as I start to stand up, she is pushing me out of the way so she can see in the toilet and then loves to watch the water go down once I flush.  Hopefully this means she'll be ready to start potty training in the next few months!

Since we didn't get to see fireworks last night, we're going to try to go somewhere this week with Ainsley.  I think she would enjoy them, but only if she's had a good nap and isn't tired!!!