4th of July

I still have pictures from July that I wanted to post, so let's step back in time!

We've developed a family tradition where we invite all of our family over to breakfast on the 4th of July. It works out great to have breakfast and visit while we wait for the parade to come. Since it comes right by our house we don't have the hassle of searching for a spot--we can just walk out the front door (also convenient for bathroom breaks and children who are scared of loud noises!). This year my grandma, our parents, our siblings, nieces, nephews, and a few friends came over. A total of 28 people, and we managed to feed them all (it helps that it's potluck style).

Once we're full, we head outside to wait for my favorite part of the day. I love watching the parade with the kids (and of course eating the candy), but the best part of the day for me is the flyover. I love watching the planes fly overhead...and I love how noisy they are. I managed to catch a picture this year. Well, a picture of the power lines with two planes in the lower part of the picture. :)


Since we're at the end of the parade route we occupy our time by posing children for pictures and playing with the empty candy collection bags. This was Ethan, Micah, and Colin's turn:


During the parade we managed to gather this crew of cousins (and a few adults thrown in for supervision). Rachel, Charlie, Evan, Kathleen, Micah, and Ethan. They are obviously distracted by the parade rather than the mother/aunt shooting pictures. Also, we've had such a cool summer that my sister felt the need to wrap up in a blanket during the parade. Crazy!


Later in the day Grandma pulled out sparklers for the boys. Ethan was familiar with them and had fun making designs and writing his name. On a side note, do you notice my potted plant in the background? Isn't it lovely? It looks like it could be filled with nice herbs. It's not though. If you don't fill a pot with flowers the weeds grow. And if you let them be, they fill in just like flowers! The weeds were tall enough to disguise a pop can that someone left in there after the festivities. Small tangent.


Micah was a little unsure of the sparklers...once he warmed up to them he enjoyed them! We just had to keep reminding him of where to hold it so he wouldn't get burned.

Jason, Ethan, and a few other family members finished the day at the fireworks. I stayed home since Micah was in bed and I needed to pack for the cottage. Pictures of the cottage are coming soon!