Where do I begin?

Well our 4th was awesome!  We had a bbq and pool party at our house with friends and family.  Just as everyone started getting into the pool a rain storm rolled in but it didnt slow anyone down.   It wasnt really lightening so we just swam in the rain and after about an hour the rain let up.  After dinner we went to the fireworks down at the river.  We sat on NTM's lawn as usual and the boys made friends with some of the other kids playing on the basketball court.  It was amazing how easy it was this year with the kids, they happily played while we chatted with friends and I only had to go wrangle them once!  Just as Jed and I were talking about how great it was with the boys it occured to us that next year we'll have a 9 month old, which means, bottles, diapers, diaper bags, extra strollers... its overwhelming just thinking about it.  Oh well, in a few more years we'll be out of the baby stage again and hopefully FOREVER! :)   I love my kids but babies are a lot of work, if they could just be born and go from a 6 lbs baby to a toddler in a few days I would probably have about 10 kids but that first 12 months is BRUTAL!  Anyway back to our 4th of July, the fireworks were great, Evan sat with Jed and loved every minute of it, while I had Seth who was terrified at the first boom.   He was curious though so while he wrapped his arms around my neck he pressed his face up against mine and watched the show, I must admit I enjoyed the snuggles. :)   We didnt get home until 11pm and our whole family was wiped out. 
The rest of our weekend was interesting.   Saturday night I had a horrible mixture of stomach cramps and Braxton Hicks contractions.   It was very painful and if the contractions had been any closer together (they were 15-20 minutes apart) I probably would have called my midwife.   I didnt get very much sleep that night.   Sunday my body seemed to go back to normal and we had a pretty good day, we went to church and then our whole family took a nap which was AWESOME!   Afterwards we went to Joann Fabrics and picked out fabric for me to make curtains for our bedroom.   I had hoped to get going on that last night but I had some cleaning up to do around the house and was too tired afterward.   Then Sunday night/this morning was a nightmare!   Our dog Ally is in heat right now so she spends most of her time in our garage and dog run.  However she tries whenever she can to break through the locked dog door and get in our house.   At around 3:30am she started ramming into the door, waking Jed and I up (fortunately I was able to fall back asleep but Jed wasnt so lucky).  After Jed got that all sorted out, Gwen, who sleeps in our room, decided it was time to start grooming herself including lots of scratching and licking which seems 100 times louder in the middle of the night.   Jed decided it was time for Gwen to take a hike so he got up, went to our bedroom door and called for Gwen.   She didnt move and after several attempts, he went over to grab her and when he touched her she peed out of nervousness.   He had to clean it up and at this point it was almost 5am (he usually gets up at 5:30 anyway) so he just decided to stay up.   I woke up at some point but was able to fall back asleep.   Then at around 6am Jed heard Seth in his room, yelling and banging around so Jed went to check it out.  He walked in to see Seth running into the closet door yelling, "No, dont get me!"   Jed was confused at first but as Seth kept slamming into the door and yelling at no one, Jed realized that Seth was still asleep.  I'm guessing he was having a nightmare about Evan chasing him or something.   So Jed went over to him to gently wake him up and when he snapped out of it Seth smiled and gave his daddy a big hug.  Jed put him back in bed and he fell back asleep.  I feel so bad for Jed right now b/c he's probably exhausted at work.  I know I'm tired and I only woke up a few times last night and was able to sleep in until 7am!  
4th of July pics

Seth and Len decided to wear matching outfits, arent they cute!?! :)  

The sun was beautiful as it set over the river so I tried to take some pictures of the boys with it in the background.  I couldnt get either one to look at the camera though. :(  

Our friends brought their dog, Gus Gus, Evan fell in love instantly! 

This picture cracks me up everytime!   We gave Evan a flag to hold onto but he got so excited when the fireworks started that he began whipping it around everywhere, whacking Jed in the face (and almost his eye) several times.  I fortunately had the camera out and ready to capture this priceless shot!   Once Jed got the flag away from Evan they had a great time.  :) 

Seth, my snuggly child... at least when he's scared. :)  

BTW, Katie you were right Church does have a UTI!  Thanks for the tip!