Fourth

We had a great 4th of July!  The boys participated in the annual community bike parade - decorated their bikes all up the night before and were ready to ride the morning of.  The parade ends at the Community Park where there is a huge carnival free to all who come!  It's a wonderful event and one we can't wait for every year!

I had fun making the boys' shirts for this year!  They only lasted a few hours since they ended up getting soaked at the carnival - but I'm glad that I snapped pictures of them beforehand...I can't promise how well they'll hold up in the wash :)

It was so hot (as you all know) - so we only stayed a couple hours and then came home to cool off and get ready for our neighborhood BBQ!  If you follow me on Instagram then you have seen many of these - but I feel I need to document them here too!  Allie and Landon are so damn cute - I can't help but snap a million photos of them each time they are together.  Trust me, I love my other child just as much - but he's too busy running wild for me to every get photos of him!

This was the first year we let the littles (Allie & Landon) stay up for fireworks - I'm so glad we did, they loved them!  This is the last year they are legal up here where we live, so thankfully some of our neighbors went all out and we were able to get one last good local show!  No idea what we'll do next year; hopefully the community will put together a show!

I have always wanted to try my hand at capturing words or designs made by sparklers and this year I finally pulled out the tri-pod and did it!  I love them!  I could use some practice, but I'm happy with what I got without any practice!

Thank you to all the men & women who fight everyday so that we can live in a country filled with freedom!  Happy Birthday 'Merica!

Independence Day {2014}

I sure do love celebrating birthdays...especially our country's!  How many other birthdays do you know of that you can shoot explosives off into the sky legally (well, legal in some areas)?!  We don't usually do much for the 4th - more homebodies on this special day and this year was no different, but this year we had a few friends come join us and that made it all the more fun!

We started off the morning with the bike parade - the boys and I decorated their bikes and helmets the night prior and they were more than excited to ride them in the parade.  Last year, Landon rode in the stroller, so he was pretty pumped to be able to ride his bike this time!

 

The parade ends at the Community Park where there is a huge carnival waiting for the kids to go crazy at!  Bouncy houses, train ride, firetrucks to climb on, food full of sugar to enjoy and total mass chaos! What more could one ask for on this great day?!

After we did our damage there, we headed home for a BBQ with our friends and the kids did a few sparklers before our friends headed home.

Pretty big year for Zane this year - Josh turned the reigns over to him for lighting off most of the fireworks!  Zane thought he was pretty cool (and he was)!  Landon was already fast asleep - poor thing couldn't stay up late enough.  Zane did a great job and is already asking about next year!  

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

The Fourth

Happy Independence Day (a day late)!  We had a great day celebrating America's birthday and our freedom!  Our morning started off with a kiddie parade!  Zane and I were up late the night before decorating his bike and helmet - he could.not.wait to ride his bike in the parade!  After the parade we headed to the community event that was A.W.E.S.O.M.E!  At least 10 bouncy houses, pony rides, a train to ride, rock climbing wall, video game "buses", cotton candy, snow cones - all for free!  The only thing we had to pay for was our $2 slices of pizza for lunch!  This event was amazing and even better that it was within walking distance of our house!  The boys had a blast!  Over and over I am reminded that we did the right thing by moving out here - this is the best place to raise our boys (at least for now anyway)!

Our cute little neighbor girls!

He didn't make it to the top, but he did pretty good!

After Landon (and Daddy's) naps we had dinner and started to set off some fireworks in the front!  Since Josh had to go to work - we had to do them a little early, but didn't phase the boys!  This is the first place we have lived since I was a little kid where fireworks have been legal - so it was pretty cool to do a little more than just sparklers!

I love when I capture a "real" smile!!

Throwin' down some pop-its!

Sparkler time!

LOVE this picture - Zane's face is priceless!

Allie and Landon - they are so stinkin' cute!

Our boys and the neighbor girls watching some fireworks!

After the boys went to bed and Josh headed off to work - I joined our neighbors in the front yard with a beer to watch the folks in the neighborhood who spend a small fortune on fireworks light them off!  It was a great show and one that gladly ended by midnight, so I could still get some sleep before having to go to work today!  I am happy to report that the boys slept right through the dynamite in the sky!

Until next year - Happy Birthday America!