america! america!

This past week we celebrated my favorite holiday. I love everything about the 4th of July. It's even better here in a small town. The festivities kicked off on June 30 with fireworks at the town square. My kids love fireworks. I wasn't sure how Jack would do, and though he was a little concerned at first over the noise, he quickly got over it and started clapping when they'd go off. All week long there was food booths set up on the square, so we went over and ate dinner there one night and let Ana jump in the bouncy things they had set up.

Saturday was non-stop fun. Highlights:

*Parade
*BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa's complete with a rousing game of the Patriot Challenge which yours truly won.
*Jack falling asleep in the swing at Grandma's
*Watching the Burley fireworks with friends
*Getting choked up a little as I thought about the words to "America the Beautiful" while we watched the fireworks. (I think next year I'll have a CD to play along with them.)
*Fire crackers in the street. Ana was so cute with sparklers!

It was such a great day!

Of course, we forgot to put the memory card in the camera before we took off, so this is one of the only pictures we got.



I love my country. I thank my parents for instilling in me a sense of patriotism. That proudly stands when I see the red, white and blue. That cries a little when I hear patriotic music. I know this land is a blessed nation. I hope that as a people we remember what great men fought and died for. I hope we remember to be kind and thoughtful, even when there is no reward for us individually. I hope we remember that "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." (Alexis de Tocqueville)

God Bless America!