Happy 4th

I'm almost to the end of my 6-day weekend. I had yesterday off, and I took Wednesday as vacation and went up to my parents place in Rockford. Emily and I were there for 2 days, and I got to go on a bike ride with my dad - my longest of the year at 28 miles! I forget how peaceful it is up there. I know I live in nice neighborhood (except for the 4th of July when it sounds like we're in a war zone), but compared to my parents' house it's the middle of the city. It's good for the soul - like my own little spa retreat! - especially since I had no agenda except for the bike ride. Emily had a good time too. I thought it'd be a good opportunity for her to see how a cow says "moo," but apparently my dad's cows don't moo, they only stare stupidly.

And, Travis's parents came to visit us yesterday and today. What is Emily going to do tomorrow when she doesn't have grandparents around?? :) She's quite the character now. The only thing we can count on her wanting to eat is sweet potatoes - anything else depends on her mood, her hunger level, and who is offering it (better chances with anybody but me!). Her crawl has a little lilt to it, more like she prances than crawls. I watched her wipe out today, though; she just didn't get her hand down where she wanted it, and instead she bonked her head on the floor and rolled, legs in the air, and just stayed there while she realized how much it hurt and the tears started to flow. Except for the crying part, it was pretty funny to see! She LOVES music, though. Today, while playing with her grandparents, I could tell she was getting a little overstimulated, so I put on some piano music, and she just stared out the window while half-heartedly chewing on a toy. I think it was a nice little rest for her, and fun to see her mind go so far away while listening to music. In between songs, she'd snap-to and interact with people until the music started up again.

So, Trav and I are having a quiet evening. I guess we're boring old parents now, but it's hard to want to go somewhere to be social with an 8:00 curfew. It's beautiful outside, and there aren't as many neighbors shooting off fireworks yet tonight, so all in all I can't complain.