Fun on the Fourth (and the Third)

Our celebrating started a day early this year, with a super fun celebration right up the street. We met some friends for some bouncy fun, snacks, waiting, some more waiting, and finally some fireworks.




The fireworks were advertised to start at 9, but then we remembered that they were last year too and they didn't start until well after 10. Darn! But by then we'd already been waiting long enough and had promised our kids quite a show, so we were committed. We were sitting on a golf course right next to a sand trap, which turned out to be perfect! Most of our kids were perfectly content digging holes and building sand castles in the bunker while we waited for the "BOOM!" that would signify the start of the show. But our little sand architects quickly turned into archaeologists when they were SURE they'd found a dinosaur bone! It was so funny as they frantically came to us one by one explaining what they'd found. Who were we to tell them it was just an irrigation pipe? Ha! In the end, when they couldn't lift it out, they figured it was too big and only stopped digging because the fireworks had begun. When I asked her this morning, Emma still wasn't sure if it was the dinosaur's claw or rib. I'm sure the golf course was thrilled with their discovery the next morning.

My budding archaeologist with a mystery man:


Thanks, Mr. Rory and Caleb, for hanging out with the girls!


I watched most of the show through pigtails:



And then yesterday, with my parents out of town for the first time EVER on the fourth (and therefore unable to host the annual 4th of July BBQ), my sisters and I were orphaned and decided to have our own little BBQ at Abby's house. Great food, great company... and then mediocre fireworks. Oh well! Emma and Addie certainly didn't know the difference. And on the way home, we actually watched some spectacular shows right out our car window!

And lame me... I only got pictures of the girls shucking corn. What was I thinking? But here they are. They were very SERIOUS about their job.





But the best part of the day - BY FAR - was that Gary got home from his week-long trip to Salt Lake City just in time to celebrate the 4th! We sure missed you, Daddy!