July 4th Recap

Doug, Bri and I had an absolutely fantastic July 4th afternoon/evening with the A and B families (at the A family's house)!

Right after July 4th last year, Amy, Val and I all ended up getting the same stars and stripes dresses for our girls (on clearance in fact - boo-ya!). So getting together on the 4th this year was an absolute must!

It was a perfect opportunity for a mini photo shoot with the three besties. The girls were just adorable...

The girls were very cooperative, but when we told them the photo shoot was over and done, they were quite happy and immediately changed into swimsuits for some swimming fun with G and C (ML and I's brothers)...

Riding on each others' shoulders became the main event...

While the kids swam, the adults talked, munched and relaxed...

After swimming for a while, the girls wanted to get out and dry off...

We all ate dinner. Grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and corn were on the menu...

My contribution to the feast...

The boys and girls hung out in the tree house for a while...

Then the girls wanted to ride their bikes and scooters. While Briana was riding I's scooter, she hit some pebbles in the driveway and fell on her knees and scraped them up pretty good. Sigh. Such a "Briana" thing to do.

So the girls came inside to watch "The Wizard Of Oz" and eat some popcorn instead...

Once the movie was over and Bri's knees were feeling better, it was fireworks time! 

The kids in their glow necklaces...

We set off our own fireworks in the driveway...

I think the long sparklers were the biggest hit of the evening...

Doug found these cool "Chinese lanterns" to light that evening...

This is how they ended up after being lit...

Isn't that cool?

It was a wonderful night with amazing friends. I couldn't ask for more!