Fourth of July 2007: The Highlights

Yesterday was so amazing! I had hoped to share our day in pictures when we got home from my brother's house last night, but somehow, time has a sneaky way of flying by when we're having fun, and it was much later than I anticipated when we finally tucked the kids into bed. Darren and I quickly followed suit! It was a pretty exhausting day...a good measure, I'd say, of the amount of fun packed into it!

We had made some little "Star Spangled Wavers" on Tuesday (we used self adhesive foam in place of felt) and my kids have gone around the house "bippity-boppity-booing" everything in sight since then, casting enchanting spells on all stationary (and even some non-stationary) objects. So much fun!

We also made some of the easiest and most beautiful fireworks pictures using black construction paper, glue, and glitter. My kids loved working on these! We took one to my Nana's house to brighten her day, where we also lit the first of the many dozens of smoke balls we bought for the kids. These are a must-have every year...my kids love them so much and they bring back so many happy memories of my own childhood Fourth of July celebrations! We lit some more when we got home, and played in the backyard for a while before heading over to my brother's house.

We didn't bring our bathing suits this time, but my kids had just as much fun sitting at the edge of the pool getting their feet wet.They also took great pleasure in helping their Grandpa make some homemade ice cream! This was such a special treat for me, too...my dad used to make ice cream every summer when I was little, but it's been years since I've tasted any of the rich, creamy, frozen dessert I so loved as a girl.

Dylan could hardly wait to start lighting the fireworks. We lit many more smoke balls throughout the evening, buying some time before it got dark. I love this picture of Dylan and his Uncle Robby. I see so much of my brother in my son, and this shot just really seems to capture the essence of their similarities.

When darkness finally fell, a glorious storm blew in to accompany it, just as one does every year and just as we knew one would last night, despite a weather forecast to the contrary. Between large gusts of wind, we still managed to light some fountains and other ground displays, and thankfully, the rain held off until just after we finished. Dylan was a little disappointed that we didn't get to light everything we had brought, but Darren assured him that after dinner tonight, we'll put on another show just for him in our street! (I can't wait!)