Fourth of July, Part 2

So after dinner, the girls went downstairs to Rachel's playroom to re-set-up the castle with approximately 98,302 and a half pieces that we got Rachel for her 6th birthday and she played with for, oh, 3 months, and then when Drew was carrying it downstairs it snagged on something hanging from a hook and it fell all over the place and he was so mad that he stashed it in a corner of Rachel's playroom and REFUSED TO GET RID OF IT because, dammit, he had bought it for her birthday and he was not going to give/throw it away until he was good and ready. (Some issues you fight about in a  marriage, others you let slide. This one I let slide.)

Anyway...the girls decided they wanted to try to put it back together. Drew set up the air mattress in Rachel's room and we put the sheets on, and called the girls upstairs for bed. Of course they had to read first, and I snapped a photo of them intently absorbed in their books, BOTH sleeping on the air mattress (of course). They had strict instructions to be quiet the next morning. Drew and I headed downstairs to watch "House of Cards," then went to bed and actually got a good night's sleep because, true to their word, the girls were quiet. So, thanks, Daniella and Darryl. We'll be happy to host Valerie again anytime!

The next morning Drew made pancakes after bringing fresh fruit back from the farmer's market. I showered and put on makeup because I had to go to work late that afternoon and had to meet a friend from Willamette's law school at a breakfast place downtown around 11 a.m. Said a quick goodbye to everyone and headed out -- much to my sadness. It was way too short a trip! Come back soon!