A very Tosa 4th of July

Parades, pools, & belly pokes

Every 4th of July, we Lawlers gather for the Wauwatosa parade and a cookout at Aunt Kal's house. First, the parade: While the company was unparalleled, I'm sorry to report that Pippin and Gloria were the most entertaining part. There were no Tripoli Shriners zooming around in go carts. No kazoo band. Not even the local tennis club rolling a net down the middle of the street. But we made the best of it and Gloria went home with a bag full of candy to rival any loot on Halloween.

Once back at Kal's, we started on food preparations: Italian sausages with grilled sweet peppers and marinara sauce, chopped salsa, a platter of cheese & sausage (of course), and watermelon. 

Gloria dragged me away from my kitchen duties for one round of Candy Land, and then it was pool time. She's quite a little mermaid and delighted us with all of her best tricks: touching the pool floor, underwater splits, and swan dives (turned belly flops). My heroic dad, wielding a pool cleaning net, saved Gloria from a floating wasp. I later humored her game of walking around the pool spinning foam noodles like batons. All the while, Gloria ran screaming whenever Adam appeared on the scene, accusing him of being a belly-poker (he is!) and "big trouble."

Eventually it was back to the kitchen for final food prepping: mixing up mom's Ramen noodle salad and, with Gloria's help, giving my star-shaped brownies (recipe here!) a final dusting of powdered sugar. We told my mom all about how Adam is a trouble-making belly-poker. "I hate belly pokes!" Mom said. Without skipping a beat, Gloria sidled over to my mom with a sly smile and an "Oh, you don't like belly pokes? I thought you loved belly pokes..." 

After all the poking, barbecuing, and inevitable nap-craving, Gloria roped us into a game (or three) of Go Fish. She said Adam could play but only if he didn't cheat. I guess he still has a long way to go to prove he's not really all that much trouble. That, or we just have to wait for her to bore of giving him such a hard time.

By 5:00 there were lots of tired Lawlers, but the day was worth every drooping eye and gaping yawn. Aunt Kal is actually selling her house this summer, and it's a house we'll all miss — one that's often filled with out-of-town guests, lots of laughs, too much food, and sunny days spent lounging poolside. Thankfully, in keeping with tradition, this July 4th had it all.