The 3rd Of July!

That's right...the 3rd of July! :)  Danny had promised the kids they could set up the tent and camp out in the backyard on the 4th of July.  For reasons I can't now remember, Danny decided it would be fun to do it the night before.  And somehow, that ballooned into quite the family affair!  And it turned out to be the best idea ever.

We bought our tent probably two years ago, but it has never made it out of the box.  The kids were so excited to help set it up!  And Danny is the best Dad ever, and actually put them to work.

 

While they worked on the tent, Luke enjoyed some time outside in his walker!  He absolutely loved it.  He ran all around the patio, touching everything he could reach.  He especially enjoyed opening and shutting the windows on the playhouse.  It makes our hearts full to see him enjoying life!

 

The kids' attention spans didn't quiet match up with the time it took to get the tent set up. :)  Johnny found some of the rods and instantly they were weapons.  He showed Luke all the karate moves he could think of.  It was hilarious to watch!

 

Finally, the tent was done!  Danny even hauled in the queen mattress from our guest bed for him and Johnny to sleep on, and the two extra crib mattresses for the girls.  They were going to be sleeping in comfort...and splendor.  Our tent has a neat feature.  The roof is open to the stars, with a nice fine mesh to keep the bugs out.  Awesome for a starry night!  Danny asked me just as he was finishing if I thought he should set up the rain fly.  I told him not to bother...there was no rain in the forecast, and the kids would love the stars.  Danny packed up the rain fly and we didn't give it a second thought.

 

With the tent finished and ready for a campout, we let the kids play until it had become sufficiently dark for fireworks.  In the backyard!  I think that is so cool. :)  We called Grandma and Papa to see if they wanted to join us, and they came right over...of course!  The kids got their blanket and were ready for the show.

 

 

I absolutely LOVE how big and deep our backyard is.  It was so fun to have a private fireworks show!  We didn't have to worry about cars or bothering the neighbors.  It was awesome.

 

When we got down to the second half of the fireworks, Danny let the kids pick what firework they wanted to see next.  They thought this was the coolest thing ever!  They took their selections very seriously, and were all the more amazed when it went off.  They had a blast...literally! :)

 

Some of the fireworks were quite big and noisy, and made the kids a little nervous.  They sought safety with Papa, and that made it much better.

 

But then Johnny picked the biggest one in the box!  And for that, only Daddy's hand would make it okay. :)

 

And what 3rd of July campout would be complete without s'mores?!  Not this one, that's for sure!  Danny stoked up the grill while the kids found suitable marshmallow sticks in the yard. 

 

 

And the results were good enough to put you in a sugar coma!  No seriously, they were the richest things I have ever eaten!  We wanted to try the new s'mores marshmallows, which are thick square marshmallows...perfect for fitting on a square graham cracker.  Then, in an effort to not have to buy so many chocolate bars, I bought the king size Hershey's bar...not realizing that it wasn't only bigger, but thicker too!  We ended up with some seriously giant s'mores!

 

 

I don't think anyone but Danny actually finished an entire s'more. :)  And it still took quite the effort to get the marshmallow off of everyone and get them cleaned up for bed.  The kids were so tired, but excited for their campout.  Luke and I were going to be sleeping in the house, but we made sure everyone was tucked in nice and snug.  Then we went in and got into bed ourselves.

 

 

At about 2:30 in the morning, I was woken by a bright light.  I laid there awake for a few seconds, and then it flashed again.  That's when I realized it was lightening.  Uh-oh!  As I lay there, I listened and heard the wind a-howlin'.  It wasn't 10 minutes later that Claire was by my bedside saying she was coming inside to sleep because it was "way too windy".  I got Claire tucked in and situated, then was just picking up my phone to text Danny and see if either Sophie or Johnny needed to come in when I received a text from him saying that it had been raining for two hours and they were soaked!  I ran outside and Danny and I started the process of bringing wet kids and blankets in the house.  We left the mattresses, hoping the rain would stop soon and they wouldn't get too wet.  So much for not needing the rain fly! :)  Danny and I had to laugh when we checked the weather app on our phone and it still said it was a clear night.  Thanks for nothing, weather app!

 

Even with the unanticipated rain, our 3rd of July celebration was awesome.  But it was awesome for more than just the fun we had.  This was the first holiday we had celebrated as a family that wasn't affected by Luke being sick.  It was almost like we were just a normal family again!  I remember thinking at one point that I sure hoped this wasn't a gift, because it would be the last 4th of July we'd have together as a family.  I didn't know at the time that we would be facing that possibility in just a few weeks.  But no matter what comes next year, this night was a gift.  We don't take for granted anymore the time we have to play and make memories together.  This family that Danny and I have made together is what it is all about.  And we're so blessed that we can all have so much fun being together!