FOURTH OF JULY

The fourth!  Oh my goodness, it was just a joy of a day at our house.  I've never had a problem with this holiday, but I've also never really been that "into" it. 

In 2016 (when Mags was not even two months old), we first attended a morning Fourth of July parade in a small town just 15 minutes from us.  So this was year number three and - as far as the kids are concerned - "this is what we ALWAYS do."  We were entertained for more than an hour and came home with giant bags of candy.  

My dad and Connie joined us for the entire day and two of our nieces and one of Brian's sister joined us for the parade.  It was great to get to spend time with all of them.  

Little things like eating dinner on patriotic paper plates and enjoying red, white and blue bomb pops for dessert brought extra joy to the day with zero extra work on my part.

Maggie played "ice cream shop" with my dad and I for a long stretch - switching back and forth from ordering to serving us food and charging "two moneys" for everything.  

In the early evening, Brian and the boys set off the majority of the fireworks we purchased.  The boys gain more interest and bravery in fireworks every year - again a small price for a lot of fun and Brian pretty much took over all of the "work" related to this, which I appreciated.  

After dusk, we sat in our lawn chairs and enjoyed the "show."  We have a prime viewing spot in our very own driveway and it is awesome.  It means Maggie could go to bed at 7:30 while the boys stayed awake for all of the amazing fireworks that happen around our neighborhood.  This was the first year the boys stayed up for the majority of the night time fireworks and it was so fun to see their reactions and enjoyment.  

In short: 

Throughout the day, we spent a ton of time outside.  We got to share our day with family.  We relaxed and nothing felt stressful.  I had visible reminders of the ways the kids are growing and maturing.  We embraced the traditions we started and had a great time together.  

Win!  Win!  Win!