FABU Fourth, my Friends.

In case you were wondering, this is how you do it:

With the love of your life, drive up to your VBF’s house in beautiful rural area of Indiana. Pile out of the car, hug everyone in sight. Commence chatting, brokering fireworks purchases, watching ZILLIONS of fireflies, igniting fireworks, making caramel and chocolate sauces, watching animated movies, eating “entirely adequate” Mexican food, and kissing/chasing/hugging/taking pictures of babies. Read all kinds of interesting things your VBF has written and contributed to. Talk with her about your favorite memories, fears, and hopes for the next phase of your life. Listen with delight when she tells you how awesome her husband is. Smile constantly for the next 24 hours when you hear the very sage, and completely accurate advice she gave the loveofyourlife about thriving in an Erickson-Dominated environment. Wish for the thousandth time that you lived next door to her and awesome husband and delightful children.

And, these, my friends, are just the bare outlines. I also got to catch up with other dear friends on the phone, sleep well, swim, get some sun, get kissed, and have a little bit of peace.

It rarely gets any better.

Below, see pictures of my littler nephews, Simon who put himself in a cubby in the kitchen and Jude who we tried really hard to pack in a grocery bag to take home!