Independence Day!

I think we have an official tradition for celebrating the Fourth of July. We go to the local parade, then on to the park with carnival rides, booths and tri-tip sandwiches (so what if it's only 10 in the morning?), home for naps, swimming at a friends, and then the fireworks at the stadium. And now that fireworks are legal here, we do some of our own too.

We see our family. We see our friends. We get overheated. We eat some candy. Our kids run with their friends and make memories.

The next day everyone has a total hangover.

It totally works.

Antici...pation! For the candy, you know?

Run, Addie, Run!

Emmy finally joined the fray. She had a piece of candy in her bucket!

More running.

This year, one of the local cheer groups led all the kids in a fireworks finale cheer routine.

All of the kids were really into it. 

Addie took it very seriously. They rehearsed and then right before the fireworks, they joined in the routine with the cheerleaders. At first us parents were a little skeptic about this whole thing, but the kids liked it so much after the dust settled, I think it ended up being a really good idea.

Sparklers after the fireworks show.

Our own fireworks finale.

We were beat at the end of the day! Allen and I took stock of how the day went for our family and we were so content with how it all panned out. Not only do we get to see the people we love the most, but our kids are also developing a love for their country. They are learning to respect the history of our freedoms. All of these fun actives are a great springboard for having history lessons about what it took for this country to come together. We get to talk about sacrifice and commitment and standing for what you believe in. Sure, there's candy and fun and games, but the reason for all of the fanfare isn't forgotten and it's all definitely worth the celebration.

Happy Fourth!