The Grand Finale

After Bloomfield we headed back to celebrate the Fourth of July in my parent's hometown - Osceola. Landon got more quality time with Grandma and got to meet Aunt Salowa and cousins Colton and KaDee. (My aunt is actually only 6 years older than me ... so Colton is my brother James' age and KaDee is 5.)

Pictures of the Fam:
Osceola knows how to celebrate the Fourth of July in style (minus the fact that the fireworks were the night before). They have a carnival that sets up in the middle of town. So many of my childhood memories surrounding the Fourth of July take place at that carnival because we used to go visit my grandparents every year at that time. It's funny to look back - I remember it being so much bigger and more glitzy ... interesting how time changes perspective.

(Even my mom got in on the action while my grandma (below) kept
Landon. See how stylish and sassy she still looks?! Told you.)

(Landon LOVED the carousel. He petted his horsey after and blew it kisses)


(With my cousin Kimmy and her son. Please note his shirt ...
it says corn fed. In Iowa they grow kids big ... and the joke is that
they are corn fed. I tried to find Landon the same t-shirt, for obvious reasons :)!)

This picture deserves a story. My brother and cousin are apparently both afraid of heights, yet desperately wanted to ride the Farris wheel. So they begged me to go with them. Naturally that meant that at the very top I had to bump into my brother and say "Don't fall" as loud as I could. They both screamed like girls. Priceless. I can't wait until they have girlfriends to share all these fantastic stories with.

Now for a little trip down memory lane ...

This is the first home my parents owned - the one they brought me home to. Then it was super cute ... you can't even imagine. My dad worked in construction and spent hours making it their little home. I haven't been in it since I was about 6 months old and obviously don't remember it for real, but I can picture the wood burning stove in the living room where my mom used to wheel my bassinet near so that I would stay nice and warm during my nap ... just from hearing the stories so many times. It's sad to see it get so run down.
And here is the house my dad grew up in. I LOVE this house and was so sad when it was time for my grandpa to sell it. My grandma made the upstairs so grandma-y. Themed rooms, nicknacks everywhere and a screened-in back porch. The basement was a wonderland to a little kid. There was a real bar where we could play restaurant (with an old fashioned telephone), a pool table and my grandma's ceramics studio. I painted many a Christmas ornament under her tutelage. Looking at them now I am certain that she helped fix them up a bit once I left them to dry. I assure you I couldn't paint something that turned out that well now, let alone then.
We didn't get a good picture of where my mom grew up. It was a farm, but no one lives there anymore and it was mainly just grass and plants. However, once upon a time my mom worked at this hotel ... now home to the Statue of Liberty (who knew?!). It was so fantastic I had to get a picture of it.
We all had so much fun! We were sad to say goodbye!