Our Fourth 4th!

Hey, hey! It's been a while! This is Scott and my fourth Independence Day together as a couple :) We've found special ways to enjoy each one! We started out at the parade in Rexburg. The girls LOVED it and got to collect candy and watch horses trot on by. It was fun to see some people from our ward participate! I'm sad I didn't get pictures of the actual parade...lame I know.

 Then we headed home to enjoy our day! We started with a nap, which was much needed for our kiddos! It was a really hot day and they were worn out after being in the sun all morning long! Next we set up our little pools and played away! Addy got to play with water balloons, and as a special treat, daddy made her a bubble pool with my dish soap...

 Check out Addy's face in this one...I crack up every time!

Then we lit some really lame sparklers and fireworks...it was anticlimactic, as none of them worked and we had to just hurry through because the girls weren't interested...Good thing we only paid 3 bucks for that pile of worthless junk...next year we are buying real sparklers...these ones were supposed to be "safer." Which, I suppose, they were because they wouldn't stay lit longer than 2 seconds. Literally...but the girls enjoyed those few seconds lol.

Before starting, I explained to Addy about pyros and how they light fireworks and do cool stuff with fire...this is what she got from that. Now let me just say: we do NOT watch, read, or talk about violence with our two year old (or ourselves really). So I have NO idea where she got this idea...

 This was her reaction to those black snake ones that look like poo growing out of your cement...

 I'm not sure what spurred this face...

 Ellie was pretty amazed by her sparkler. Next year I want to get real ones so she can see what happens when they stay lit and you can write with them. She's so cute!

 Waiting for fireworks and rehydrating :)

 Ellie was HILARIOUS during the fireworks! She pointed and oohed and awed at every single one, even the ones that people set off in their yards. She was seriously amazed the entire time. I love watching fireworks with kids. They are so excited about everything and it's like seeing them for the first time yourself. Grace slept the whole time, and Addy still talks about it and asked for days to go see more. She was pretty sad when I explained they only happen once a year...

Our kids were so good all day long! They didn't whine, even though they were up really late, and they played and laughed all day. It was really great. I am so thankful for the freedoms that we have in this country and pray every day that our government will remember what freedom and independence mean. Happy late 4th!