4th of July Festivities

Sean made a stop in south Florida while on his road trip. His timing was perfect for me because after the first two days, Ryan left for MN for a week. It's been fantastic having a second set of hands and eyes to help watch the kids.

Our annual 4th of July party has changed hosts over the past couple years. The party has clearly been impacted by the economy and kids. We had a small group (Jess, Jerry, Norah, Caleb, Amy and Pete) over for some pool time, food, and some fireworks.

The party started after nap time. The kids played a little and then it was swimming time. After about an hour in the pool we cleaned up and ate. Believe it or not but we actually were able to get everyone to sit down for a minute and eat together. It was short lived but we all noted it.

Then it was time for a few small fireworks (aka sparklers and tanks). We put the babies down for bed and let the kids watch Toy Story while we waited for it to get a little darker. Then it was time to head back outside for some fountains and a few other fireworks. Considering the display we have had in the past, this was just a tiny sliver of what we used to blow up. It was long enough for the little kids but the big kids (Pete, Sean, Jerry) all wanted more! I allowed them to light off one bigger one. It was a nice finale to the evening.

We had the house cleaned up and everyone was on their way home by 8:30pm. Not quite the same party as past years but it was just as fun. We always know how to have a good laugh and eat lots of good food.

*Jess was the official photographer. You will have to check her blog for pics.