Our Fourth of July

Although 3 out of the 6 of us were feeling pretty lousy today, I tried to make the best of our day. It's been a really long time since I've felt this bad with a cold, but I didn't want our day to come and go without it being a little bit special.  This morning I made star shaped cinnamon rolls.  Well, kind of.  I took them out of the package, unrolled them, and shaped them into stars. ;) Topped them with the icing, and poured sprinkles on top.  They were a big hit.

Later in the morning the girls and I painted while we talked about why we celebrate the 4th of July.  I told them all about Great Britain and how they wanted the colonies to pay more

 taxes, and set more rules, and how the colonies wanted to separate, and about the Declaration of Independence.  Anna answered all of my questions, and added a bit more info to the

 conversation.  Trin on the other hand had a harder time grasping it.  She kept saying that

 the 4th of July was for celebrating fireworks.  After trying to explain that we

celebrate WITH fireworks about a dozen times, Anna finally just agreed,

 and told Trin that she was exactly right.



In the afternoon, we had a lot of play time with Mason on the floor.  We read a lot of books, played trucks, rode zebras, and played "peek a boo" for the camera!

After dad got home, we cooked out, and lit a few sparklers and smoke bombs.  The kids were disappointed that the whole state is still on fire, and that we are limited to what type of fireworks we could do. We had to have a talk about being ungrateful, and remember why living in America is so great, and to be thankful for those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

  Not everyone is able to celebrate such a wonderful thing!

Next up is the firework show.  We normally watch from the front sidewalk, or our balcony.  It's pretty windy tonight, so I'm not sure if they will cancel or not.  You know... a part of me wishes that the city would only host a firework show every other year, or every two years, and put the money saved into the public school system. A thought to ponder... It would do a world of good!

God Bless America! I hope you had an awesome 4th!