4th of July!

We had a very busy holiday weekend and it's very nice to be back to a routine! Our neighbors and landlord informed us that 4th of July was a big deal in our neighborhood. Fireworks of all kinds are legal to buy here in Arkansas, so some residents in our neighborhood put on a big display that we were told is better than the Bentonville fireworks in town.

So, we prepared the house for a 4th of July party with some of Jarrod's co-workers. Gavin and I made the decorations.

The morning of the 4th, we cleaned and cooked for hours. I made Beer Bread, two different dips, a fruit salad, and watermelon lemonade among other things. I wanted to get a picture of the 3 of us before the party started, and this is what I ended up with. 3 guys that Jarrod works with and their families came over. Jarrod told me that they were bringing their kids, but he didn't know how old they were. I'd prepared Gavin all day, telling him kids were coming to play with him. Well, the 'kids' showed up and were all between 11 and 17. Not his kind of kids! And, they brought along ALL of their Rock Band equipment to play. Gavin was in awe!

When the boys abandoned the game to eat, Gavin couldn't help but try the drums. :)

Finally it was dark enough to do the fireworks. Gavin, of course, didn't even make it up past 8 o'clock. Everyone was right....the display was amazing! And so close!!! They set them off in the empty lot at the end of our street. It was so nice to sit in our own yard and see nearly 2 HOURS worth of fireworks!

About 30 minutes into the display, Gavin woke up crying. He's really scared of the fireworks. He kept saying, "No fireworks, No fireworks!" We put him in our bed with Toy Story on and he fell back asleep, next to a trembling dog. Both of our kids - scared to death of the fireworks!

But the display continued! And I LOVED it!

Happy 4th of July! Maybe next year Gavin will be able to enjoy the holiday as much as Mommy does!