Our Five Ring Circus: Fourth of July Festivities

Friday, July 6, 2018

Fourth of July Festivities

Fourth of July Festivities

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, and this year was a great one! We swam, we picnicked, we paraded, we ate too much food, we swam some more, and we watched fireworks. We had so much fun celebrating America's birthday with our family and friends!


The 4th of July has been a big deal since I met Grant. I quickly grew to love the holiday as much as his family did. Every year since I met Grant, we celebrated the 4th of July with his family. They always hosted a huge picnic, then we walked down to watch the town parade. Grant often drove his dad, who was the mayor, in the parade, and I occasionally joined him. Eventually, Dylan took my place. His dad brought fireworks back to the area, so we would end the night by watching the fireworks in the cemetery on the hill, then head back to his parent's house for a fire.

That tradition just wasn't the same after the death of Grant's father, who absolutely loved the 4th of July, and two years ago was the last year the picnic happened. Last year felt like a huge disappointment, so we knew things had to change. Although change is tough, this year we went to our friend's pool for a picnic/pool party, and we ended up having a fun day!


The Picnic


Spending the day swimming was the perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July! It was a miserably hot and humid day, well in the nineties, and the only comfortable place to be (other than indoors) was in the pool. I didn't take too many pictures, because I stayed in the pool with the kids for hours. We only breaked long enough to eat a large amount of delicious food!

Pool Party

Pool Party

Pool Party

(Even Grant flipped into the pool!)

Pool Party

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The Parade


In the late afternoon, we all headed to the town parade. We met up with Grant's family and some more friends, and we all sat together to watch the parade. It was SO hot, but the kids had a great time catching candy, getting sprayed with water guns, and getting hit with water balloons. Liam absolultely loves parades, and I loved watching him watch the parade! The kids ended up leaving with big bags of candy!

4th of July Parade

4th of July Parade

4th of July Parade

4th of July Parade

Fourth of July Parade

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The Lucky Few

The After Party


After the parade ended, we made a quick detour to our house to let the puppy outside for a bit, then headed back to the picnic. We happily swam until the thunder started, so the fun was unfortunately cut short. Liam, however, learned how to swim without our help, and turned into a little fish by the end of the evening! He was even jumping into the pool over and over again. He would jump in with a smile on his face, go under the water, then pop back up with a huge smile on his face and swim back over to the ladder! It was such an exciting milestone, and it's a game changer now that he loves to be in the pool and can swim on his own! Even though the approaching storm cut the fun short, we did get an early start for the fireworks!

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Swimming

Swimmer

Swimming

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The Lucky Few

The Fireworks


We watched the fireworks in our usual spot! We still watch them in the cemetery, but now we sit across the road from Grant's dad's resting spot, with our friends and Grant's family. We got there early, and we had an amazing view of the approaching storm. Nature provided us with its own fireworks show before and during the actual fireworks. It was pretty incredible, and thankfully we made it home before the storm hit!

Lightning

fireworks

fireworks

fireworks

fireworks

fireworks

fireworks

fireworks

fireworks

The Wrap-Up


After fireworks, we headed back home. Lily fell asleep on the 2 1/2 mile car ride, and went straight to bed. Dylan soon followed. Only Lexie and Liam, who had napped several times in the car, were awake. Grant was off the following day, so one of our friends came over to hang out. We ended up snacking on delicious pepperoni rolls, and watching TV. Liam soon fell asleep, and Lexie headed to bed at the same time as we did after our friend left. We all fell asleep really fast, completely content and sun-kissed!

Our Fourth of July was busy, fun, and spent with some of our favorite people! We made some great memories together as a family. Happy Birthday, USA!


4th of July Family

Fourth of July Festivities #4thofJuly #fourthofjuly #momblogger #familyfun

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good time. Did you take that lightning picture?

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    1. We had a good day! And, yes, I did. I tried so hard to get a picture of the fireworks beside the lightning, but couldn't time it right!

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  2. Oh my goodness, look at all those happy smiles! Change is so hard - there's no denying that - especially when you've had long-standing traditions. I'm so glad you were all able to have a fantastic day (even with the storms!) and start some new, fun and special traditions together. Have the BEST weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Melissa! I think we definitely started a fun new tradition!

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  3. I just loved seeing photos of everyone sat on the kerb waiting for the parade - so quintessentially American - I would love to see that one day - all the ages together. Plus y'all seem to be able to have public gatherings without bad behaviour and alcohol unlike in this country! All of your kids are so gorgeous - those big blue eyes - and Liam looks super cool with that funky hair cut - he is just gorgeous - can't get enough of seeing that little face! You are so lucky to have access to a pool like that - I think Caspar would be in heaven. Sorry to hear about Grant's Dad - it is always so hard when a linchpin of the family passes. All in all though a fabulous day of you - I bet your kids are exhausted still! Have a relaxing week-end - Joanne xx

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    1. I'm sure it would have been a bit crazier in the city. Our small town is mellow, though! Thank you so much for your sweet comment! XOXO

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  4. What a perfect day! I know y'all will all treasure these memories for a lifetime! 4th of July has always been on of my favorite holidays!!

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    1. It was such a fun day! I'm glad it turned out better than last year!

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  5. Wow, what a fun tradition, and you made it special this year with honoring Grant's dad. I love Lily's and Liam's super cute red, white, and blue outfits. Your family is so fun!

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    1. Thank you, Annette! It was such a positive change, considering last year felt so blah!

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  6. Looks like you guys had a nice time celebrating.. Happy 4th!

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