Independence Week

Last week the Rutledge crew was treated to visits from family to help us celebrate the Fourth of July. GJ and Pappy ventured down to North Carolina for the whole week. Aunt Mel and Baby Corinne made the trek up from Charleston for the weekend. (I had to chuckle when Melanie relayed the story of driving up I-95 with one hand on the wheel and one hand in Corinne's mouth for gnawing to cut down on the fussiness -- those were the days!).

We had a full house, and it was a tremendous week for Amy and me as the boys were entertained, there were always helping hands around for an infant & two toddlers, and seeing family is a rejuvenating experience.

The boys were enamoured with their young cousin immediately as they brought Corinne toys, helped give her a bath, and hijacked her booster seat. Gus helped by setting the clock and noise settings on Corinne's sound machine a couple hundred times.

Pappy -- at 63 and a year off back surgery -- outworked his son as we teamed up to clear more brush & trees from the backyard. (It has taken me three days for the soreness to wear off from the -- ahem -- wonderful introduction to the tool known as a grubbing hoe.) :-) But the backyard is really coming together, and happy hour was that much sweeter after hours of work in the hot sun.

Finally, Amy & I were treated to a game of Sequence -- the first board game we have played in our house probably since the boys were born! Unfortunately for Amy and GJ, the men won five straight games and may have gloated just a tiny bit about their shutout victory.

What a great way to celebrate Independence Week. Thanks to the family for making the trip to see us. Cheers!

Owen puckers up to give Baby Corinne a kiss on the cheek.

Aunt Mel cooks dinner while GJ, Corinne & Baby Bjorn assist.

The three cousins slow down just long enough for a picture together.

Corinne was introduced to her first feeding of cereal. Actually, she was introduced to four helpings of cereal. I think it's safe to say solid food was a major hit with Baby C.

The boys show GJ and Aunt Mel how to have Wrestlemania on the couch. It's oh-so-much fun.

The "I will be bribing Gus in his teenage years" fund just keeps adding pictures to its repertoire. Gus proudly displayed Baby C's hat all by himself with no provocation from us by the way.

When not participating in Wrestlemania, Corinne's seat was a popular spot for TV viewing.

Here is what the backyard looked like about six weeks ago before chainsaws, a stump grinder, a grubbing hoe, shovels, and wheelbarrows began the clearout. There are still many, many trees back there -- oaks, tulip poplars, maples & hickories. We just cleared out the brush & saplings so we could have some usable space.

Pappy pauses for only a moment as he attacks sapling stumps with the shovel & grubbing hoe.

The stump grinder was the envy of Pappy and me. The man operating it even had a remote control. Unfortunately for the boys -- who absolutely love trucks and tractors -- they napped through the entire episode while this machine was going to work in their backyard.

Manual labor in July calls for a popcicle break with grandsons.