We went north to the in-laws on Saturday for the weekend.

On Saturday was a 50th wedding anniversary for an old scout master of Rice's. The celebration was in one of Idaho's most beautiful valley/mountainous areas. (Sort of a contradiction I know, but Idaho really does those well.) We ate well, met some nice people, listened to some great live music and then went and acquired some square ice cream.

I rode up with my FIL and the kids. Rice rode with his mom. My FIL and I had a nice conversation about our childhoods, teachers, and child rearing. We bonded. Although it was distant bonding. There wasn't a lot of talk about hopes and dreams or really personal things. I guess mostly because my FIL likes to talk and lecture and tell stories, and it's hard to bond beyond that. It's just interesting to me how much my in-laws don't really know a lot about me, though they think they do. But we've known each other about ten years, so I don't suspect it will be changing any time soon. I do, however, know a bit about them because they do share a lot and I do listen. They talk about their worries and hopes and dreams, and I'm glad they do that.

Sunday we had lunch with Rice's grandma. And it was good. And she was glad to see us, and we were glad to see her. She lives at a high-class assisted-living facility now, so there were plenty of older people to enjoy Avadore and LD.

Monday was the fourth, of course. We went to the parade (Avadore's first) in the morning. The local realty company that won one of the prizes had an American flag and a white flag with a yellow ribbon on it and something about supporting "Desert Storm". I suspect that a flag from '92 was recycled... Either that or someone thinks we're still fighting the same battle? Could be, at that.

Another interesting thing I noticed was the body count on some of the floats. Let me explain. Some of the floats had the wars America has participated in along with the body counts. One of them counted all of the deaths total that have occurred in Iraq in the last couple of years and labeled it "In Iraq". One of them counted just over 1,000 and labeled it "Operation Iraqi Freedom". I was all for the former. We're still losing people over there, on both sides. Let's not forget them or how much this war is consting us...

On Monday afternoon, my little family went to Rice's Aunt's and Uncle's where there were kids playing in the water. There was a makeshift water slide, water baloons, and a Slip-n-Slide, Zingers and popsicles. It was a great afternoon.

Afterwards, it was dinner at the in-laws: drunken chicken (though Rice and I ate an apple drunken chicken instead of the beer drunken chicken because of the barley content), potato salad, green salad, watermelon. It was pretty yummy.

Last night were the fireworks. They were big and pretty and the local radio station provided some interesting music. Usually they play Springsteen and other patriotic music. This year they played Andrea Bocelli and "To Dream the Impossible Dream". Interesting, though cool, choices. The music has been obnoxious for the past two years, so that was nice.

Today we took the kids to the hospital where my MIL works (she's a nurse educator and a post-op nurse). All of her nursing friends ooohhhed and ahhhed over Avadore and LD. Peds also weighed LD for us. He's 10 weeks old and weighs a whole 12 pounds. He weighed 8 10 at birth. I think he's eating.

And now we're home. YAY!