Why I Love the 4th of July

The 4th of July is one of my favorite days of the year.

It wasn't always.

I don't have amazing childhood memories of the 4th.

But then one day, long ago, that all changed.  

I was 17 years old, and falling in love with a boy named Aaron. 

On that 4th of July, we sat side by side, and as the fire works exploded overhead, he held my hand for the first time.

19 years later, we're still holding hands while we watch the fireworks.

Sure, the fireworks are sitting on a ladder in the middle of our street, not exploding over Mission Bay.
And we're sitting on lawn chairs, not on the sand. 
And instead of the sound of water lapping at our feet, we hear our kids screaming their heads off with joy, or terror, (David) at each explosion.
But if I would have known 19 years ago when Aaron slipped his hand in mine, that I would someday have ALL this, I would have squealed with joy myself.
Happy 4th, my love!

It seems the 4th of July gets better every year.
This year was pretty much perfect.
Except for the extreme amounts of fatigue induced crankiness that ensued the next night at bedtime.
But you gotta let those things slide sometimes, right?
Get ready for a boat load of pictures, people.
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We started our day with an early morning hike under some Oak trees.

Lilly enjoyed the view from her favorite spot in the world.

I enjoyed hiking with Davy in my favorite spot for him. (he's not such a fan anymore)

We found a bee hive.

And explored under bridges.

We enjoyed a rare treat: raspberry soda!

When we ventured out from under the oaks, we found a cactus patch.

And sandstone caves.

Which we had to explore.

Last year on the 4th, he was not even 3 weeks old and now he's itching to get out and climb around himself.
I'm going to miss carrying this little guy on my chest.

After the hike, we came home to our neighborhood 4th celebration.
And then the real fun began:
Bounce house.

Go cart.

Cotton candy.

I lost track of how much cotton candy this girl ate.

She lived it up!

Then we had to come inside for a bit to rest.
Some of us even napped.

Then back outside for basketball.

And trying our hand at exploding bottles of diet Coke.

We used 4 bottles of coke and each one exploded differently.
It was a total blast, although we didn't achieve the height that they did.
We're going to refine our technique.
And in case you ever want to try it, some teenage boys discovered that when Mentos are added to diet Coke inside your mouth, the Coke shoots out the same way it does out of the Coke bottle.
Out of your mouth and nose, that is.

For reals.

Amidst all this hubbub, I managed to make my first rhubarb pie.
From scratch!  
See all the details here.

Lilly played all day long with her new best buddy, Cody.

There was a train to ride.

And a fire truck.
With buttons to push that made noise!
This 4th child is unaccustomed to these kind of toys, because we don't have any of them anymore.

And then, it was time for fireworks.

I made popcorn for the show.

Davy was not too sure about the fire works.
His nervousness grew as it got darker and the fireworks grew louder.

Sparklers!

Tears and smiles.

And our very own fireworks show.

Who could ask for anything more?
God bless America!
He certainly has blessed me.
Love from,
Greta


PS.  I had such high hopes of posting more now that it is summer and I have a bit less on my plate since I'm not teaching the kids school.
But I am up to my ears in summer projects, taking kids to the beach, and planning Lilly's paper doll birthday party.  
Here's hoping I'll come up for air and get a chance to blog more regularity someday soon.