A Fantastic 4th

The 4th of July is definitely one of our favorite holidays.  It's a great day to relax as a family and sit on the grass for a good show of fireworks.  I have such fun memories as a kid of lighting fireworks in the street and Dad's BBQ with homemade ice cream and a cold glass of root beer. Mmmm. Gotta love Summer Days.  

This 4th was a fun one because we had my brother and sister here to celebrate.  The day started with a great breakfast with our church with a nice ceremony to celebrate America. After that, we stayed indoors most of the day just chillin' as a family. We tried to go to the Vienna Festival and lasted 15 minutes because it was so hot.  Phew!  I'm still glad we went to get a taste of a little hometown goodness at the festival.   Amy and Dillon were nice and had us for a BBQ at their place later that afternoon.  As usual, our girls were super excited to spend some time with their new baby, Lily.  Cute Lily got a whole lot of lovin', and maybe a few too many squeezes from Abby and Kate.  Oh dear.  We finished off the day watching the Falls Church Fireworks on top of metro parking garage.  I must say it is quite the party up there.  People parked their cars and ripped out all kinds of sparklers and treats.  Abby and Kate had a fun time with a few people we found from church.  The view was fantastic and I must say the actual fireworks were better than the what we saw in DC last year.  I think the best part of these fireworks was that you could see for miles in all directions, so we not only saw Falls Church but Vienna and part of DC.  Pretty awesome.  Kate was a bit weary of the loud noises at first, but quickly got accustomed to the idea and loved it. My favorite part of the night was seeing Abby on the car roof with Daddy behind her, both looking to the sky and admiring the sparkles.  They looked like a Norman Rockwell painting just sitting there. I love the magic that comes with the 4th of July and childhood.  

We love this beautiful land and are so grateful to enjoy our freedom!  Thanks to all those who sacrifice to make it that way.  I know our Founding Father's were inspired and courageous as they all gathered on a hot July day in Pennsylvania back in 1776.  They signed a document that would change government as they knew it.

Classic Kate face with squinted eyes.  

Look how hot it is...poor Kate's face is so red.  It feels hotter than Texas.

Brittany and Jack joined us, we just love them.

Abby and Kate adore their friend Gabbi.