Baby Benjamin

Elizabeth's newest cousin, Benjamin Anderson Bocksnick, was born on July 3rd! We gave Megan and Hans and big brother Jack a couple weeks before we barged into Charleston for a visit, but we wanted to be sure to get there before Gege left.

Elizabeth wasn't really interested in the baby, but on the other hand, she and Jack had a GREAT time playing together! This trip was really the first time that they've been such good little playmates--they've always just sort of been interested in their own thing or worried that the other may try to steal a toy... It was so much fun to see them interacting so well!

And Benjamin is such a cutie pie! Welcome to the world, Benjamin! Can't wait to see you again soon...

Fourth of July

This was Elizabeth's first year participating in Decatur's Fourth of July parade...or any parade for that matter. Our friends, Frank and Jenn, offered her a spot in their wagon with their daughter, Flora Jane, and Elizabeth was quick to accept the invitation! The Decatur parade consists of a few hundred kids with decorated bikes, wagons, scooters, etc., a sprinkling of political candidates, the obligatory Boy Scout troop leading the way, and the fire truck bringing up the rear. It's perfect for the kids, and miraculously the heat wasn't as brutal as it could have been.

The parade is followed by a concert and picnic on the square, and, of course, fireworks at dark. Elizabeth tolerated about 5 minutes of the fireworks before deciding that they were too loud--this was a vast improvement over last year's 30 second stretch!

She was a quick study on the "parade wave"...