July 4th and fireworks of a different kind

It’s been another busy week in the Greeff household and thus, a very delayed blog post…oops! I suppose such is life with a newborn.

Abigail went on her first ‘road trip’ last Saturday…all the way to Pine Mountain, GA! My parents hosted an early 4^th of July BBQ, complete with ribs, burgers, games, swimming, fireworks and lots of fun! The entire immediate family was there (my four siblings and their families), along with our Grandmother, MeMe, and Jan’s parents. After you count the four dogs, it becomes quite a party when we all get together! Everyone enjoyed an afternoon of good food and conversation, which ended with a great fireworks show put together by my brothers Chad and Tyler.

After an exhausting Saturday of fun, Jan and I looked forward to a relaxing Sunday afternoon. We decided to leave Abigail with her Oupa and Ouma around Noon on Sunday, and slipped away for a few hours to ourselves. We enjoyed a great breakfast at Waffle House (we love it) and then quickly visited Sam’s and Walmart for a few items. Upon returning to pick up Abigail, we decided to stay and watch a movie with Jan’s parents and order a pizza. (Jan’s parents were staying at my Grandmother’s extra house in Columbus.) Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans for us, and an ugly thunderstorm with severe lightening provided us with fireworks of a different kind. As random as it sounds, the house was struck by lightening, which immediately caused an electrical fire in the attic. Once we realized what had occurred, we quickly scrambled to get Abigail and everyone out of the house (that was quickly filling with smoke). The fire department was able to extinguish the fire but not before the house was practically destroyed. From what I understand, the fire was contained in the attic; however the ceilings completely collapsed in every room, ruining most of the furnishings, etc. Luckily enough, the small area where Jan’s parents’ belongings were kept remained fairly dry and they were able to salvage most of their items. Needless to say, it was an exciting Sunday evening and Jan’s parents have now relocated to our house.

July 4^th was Abigail’s first holiday and we celebrated the occasion at our friends Razvan and Ashley’s house. (Jan and I had originally planned to host this party at the house his parent’s were living in but obviously had to change plans after the Sunday fire.) Razvan had both of his grills working and Ashley provided a great atmosphere as always. The guys enjoyed several games of croquet, the food was delicious and the conversation was great. Jan and I enjoyed talking with another couple, Jessica and Garrett, who had a baby 4 days before Abigail. They seem to be pretty lucky in the baby department also…Jessica had a great pregnancy and their little girl, Dillon, has been a great baby so far.

Today, Jan went back to work after having two weeks off. Time is just passing way too quickly!

Abigail Suzanne at 15 days!