4th of July @ The Steele's

On the Sunday we left Evansville, we headed up to the Steele's (Aunt Sasse, Uncle Darren, and cousins Maddie & Eli) house in Brownsburgh, IN to celebrate the 4th. Aunt Ellie and her boyfriend, Tyler, made the trip up from Nashville, and aunt Hattie lives Indy making it the rare occasion that all of the Small siblings are together at once.

The Steele's are so accommodating and have such a beautiful home. Aunt Sasse did a marvelous job planning out the weekend, making sure everyone was well fed, comfortable, and happy. Everyone got some good time in with Max and were amazed by how big he's gotten since they last saw him. It rained most the time we were there but we made the best of it. Sunday night we had a Low Boil for dinner where Shrimp, Sausage, Corn, and Potatoes were cooked and served by being poured over newspaper on top of the dining room table. It was delicious and hopefully becomes a staple at Small get-togethers. After dinner Darren put on great firework show while everybody sat on a tarp by the pool and sang Proud To Be An American.

On Monday, the 4th, it was still raining so we played games and hung out around the basement bar. The family slowly filtered out throughout the day. That night the rain cleared and made for a beautiful and cool night. We sat out by the pool with Sass and Darren and watched the fireworks go off throughout the neighborhood. They were huge, constant, and from all directions. It was really cool and Max surprisingly slept through it all. We took off early on Tuesday morning to head home to home to Wisconsin. Max was once again a great traveler and slept the entire trip.

American Boy.

Cousin Eli wanted to hold Max this visit. We are so excited for Max to have Eli to look up to as his older boy cousin. It's a lot to put on a four year old, but we think Eli will set a great example for Max. He's one of the sweetest and most considerate kids, and he's crazy about playing sports. 

Aunt Ellie got her wish when Max fell asleep on her chest. 

Uncle Baby Sammy feeding Max at a gas station stop on the way from Evansville to Brownsburgh. Pretty sure that as this picture is being taken, Max is soaking himself, Sam's shirt, and the pillow with pee. 

The Low Boil.