4th of July 2013

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE baking, so I made red, white and blue cookies, which turned out looking like Eli made them. BUT they were tasty and it was fun to have Erin as my right-hand baker for the day.  In the evening of the 3rd, we had our neighbors over for a little barbeque and fireworks in the front yard so we could go to a big show on the 4th.

Eli was happy holding the sparkler, until we lit it on fire. Then he screamed. He wasn't a big fan of the personal fireworks.

 Every year, our ward hosts a 4th of July breakfast and bike parade for the kids. Eli was in his element here! One of the guys in our ward lead the parade on stilts with a giant flag in hand. The kids LOVED it. Before the official "start" of the parade, Eli kept talking to all the kids around him and saying things like, "Oh it's a race!"..."I'm gonna go super fast!'..."Come on guys, let's race!"

Eli wasn't the only one who treated the parade like a race. haha.

 We spent the rest of the day swimming, cleaning out the garage, relaxing, and then went to the park to meet up with friends. At the park we had pizza, played on the playground, watched a helicopter land, and visited with friends. The fireworks were AMAZING! Eli wasn't sure about them at first, but once he realized that they weren't going to "get him" he was just fine. Owie LOVED them too.

Happy Independence Day to you and yours! This year I am especially grateful for the men and women that so faithfully serve and sacrifice for my freedoms, so that my family and I are safe. God Bless the USA!