Independence Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. Growing up we always had a huge party at the farm, ending with the big Corvallis fireworks display over the Willamette River. I love fireworks! The booming and colors and oohs and aahs just make me happy. And since my birthday is the 5th of July, I always say that the fireworks celebrate my birthday early.
We started the day off with a flag-raising ceremony, pancake breakfast and bike ride (long for me, around the parking lot for the kiddos) at the church.
Aren't their t-shirts awesome??? Mason wanted to "hand salute" the flag, so chose to wear his Scout uniform instead of his flag shirt. I went on a 16-mile bike ride just before the breakfast. It was very fun!
In the evening we had some friends come over for a BBQ. The highlight of the evening was when we read the Declaration of Independence together. I printed off 6 or so copies and highlighted different parts on each copy, so we read it like a reader's theater. Some of the parts we all read together. It was really nice to remember
why we celebrate July 4th.
I told the kids that I had $20 to spend on fireworks, and with the money they chipped in we had a pretty good fireworks display! I was pleasantly surprised at how good the fireworks were! I remember them being pretty lousy when I was a kid.
Mason, of course, was more interested in learning about how the fireworks work than actually watching them. It was kind of hilarious--as soon as he would light one, he'd walk away and sometimes not even pay attention to it! The kids in the top left corner are singing "Christmas, Christmas" while waving their sparklers around the little tree in the front--which they decorated with flowers from the backyard.
*Trevor actually
was part of all these events...there is just no photographic evidence of that fact*
