Independence Day

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I have finally had a chance to sit down and go through the hundred of pictures that I have taken this month.

Let's take a journey back to the beginning of the month.

The 4th of July.

It was a great one.  Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays.  (I am pretty sure I say that about every holiday though.)

We started of the celebrations the night before by going to the Drive-In.  Our kids have never been to one and it has been years since Mark or I have been to one.  I was very excited for my kiddos to have this experience.  I remember watching Pretty In Pink at a Drive-In down South when I was younger.  It is a fun experience that everyone should have at least once in a lifetime.

Our double feature was Monsters University and The Lone Ranger.

Things started out well enough.  But after the initial excitement wore off, the reality set in and things got a little crazy.  It was super hot, super crowded, and the kids were getting super agitated with one another.  Not enough personal space to go around in the back of the van I guess.

Then the movie started and the magic began.  We settled in and LOVED Monsters University.

By the time that movie was over, it was way past my normal bedtime, but I dug in my heels and prepared myself for a really late night.  I think the heat started to take a toll on poor Ellie.  She felt like puking and was miserable.  We got her some ice and made her a comfy little bed and she promptly fell asleep right as The Lone Ranger started.  I stayed awake for most of the movie.  It was just ok.

We all slept in pretty late on the morning of the 4th which means that we had to miss our tradition of going to the parade.  Not a problem though.  We had lots of fun things to keep us busy for the rest of the day.

Bailey discovered that she really likes watermelon. :)

We spent some time with Mark's family celebrating cute Penny's 3rd birthday.  

We had fun swimming in Dan & Michelle's pool.

We finished the night with sparklers in our backyard and me playing with my new camera.

(Thanks to my friend, Andy, for the photo tutorial)

We watched some of the city fireworks from our front yard, but we were all too tired to drag ourselves over to the park.