4th of July!

This year's 4th of July celebrations were a much-anticipated event...because the Downs were coming to town! So naturally Mark and Megan came too! We decided to do a 4th of July similar to the year that Luke was sick, which was the last time we were all together for the Fourth. 

We began the festivities at our house, prepping food and visiting. It was so good to see Jami's family again, and we all enjoyed visiting while we cooked. It's so fun for Danny and I to be able to host. I love seeing my house filled to the brim with some of the people I love best in all the world.

It was about 4:00 when we made the transition over to the school for swimming, our epic slip n' slide, and of course dinner! The kids....big and little alike...had so much fun! The pool was perfect, as always. And the slip n' slide worked better than I had hoped! Not only that, but everyone smelled delicious thanks to the tear free kid's shampoo we used to lubricate the slide. :)

But for me...it was all about dinner. Well, the slip n' slide was my brain-child too...but once that was a raging success I was fully focused on dinner! :) I had worked on the menu for more than a week to get it perfect, and I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I had asked around for input on menu items, and then divided up the responsibilities so Danny and I weren't stretched too thin. Here was our 4th of July menu!

Danny's Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Gourmet Mac and Cheese

Smoked Jalapeno Mac and Cheese

Frito Salad

Two Pasta Salads

Red, White, and Blue Striped Jello Stars

Mexican Street Corn

Fruit and Fruit Dip

Grandma Candy's Baked Beans

Millie's Peanut Butter Bars

Smore's Dip

Julie's Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

Patriotic Rice Krispie Treats

Red, White, and Blue Punch

Seriously...this was the best spread we've ever had! We all ate until we couldn't move anymore...and then we went back for a few more bites. :) My Mom even invited a friend and her daughter to join us. She's from Brazil and didn't have anywhere to go, and we were happy to feed them and share our festivities. It was the most perfect Fourth of July afternoon ever!

After dinner some of the kids swam some more, others did face painting with Rosie, and others of us played a rousing game of Kubb. Basically we were killing time until it was dark enough to head back to our house for fireworks. :)

We have the perfect setup in our little elbow cul-de-sac for fireworks. We all doused ourselves in bug spray while the menfolk set up the show. Danny was a brave soul and manned the sparklers for the kids...and made it out with all his fingers unscathed! The Downs and the Martins provided the fireworks this year, and it was quite the show! 

I had high expectations for this holiday, and I wanted so badly for it to be amazing. It's kind of my favorite holiday. Amazingly enough, every part of the day exceeded my hopes and dreams. It was the perfect day, and it'll be hard to beat!

I am so grateful for this country. I'm grateful to have taken the time to teach our children about what it meant to be patriotic, and why our country is so special. I know men and women better than I have given their lives so that I could have this perfect summer day with my family. I hope to thank them someday. I know we live a life of plenty and privilege, and I also know that where much is given much is required. I hope to fill my end of the bargain.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Bear Lake

A few months ago, Rob told Danny that we should come camping with them at Bear Lake. Well, we couldn't figure out how to make the camping part work with our schedule, but we could totally spend the day! So we got up early on Saturday morning and made our way to the lake. Danny even rented a kayak for the kids, so we were ready for a fun-filled day at my most favorite lake. 

The kids immediately wanted to get out in the kayak, so Danny took them around. Johnny wasn't as much of a fan, but the girls loved it! I mostly stayed under the canopy with Joey while he played in the sand, which he thoroughly enjoyed. I was a little nervous when Danny let the girls kayak alone, but both of us were shocked by how naturally they handled the kayak! They spend a lot of the day in there, and loved every minute of it. 

Eventually, it was Danny's turn to go out on Kevin's boat with the kids. This was the part I was most nervous for, but Danny promised me he wouldn't let the kids get scared. Johnny wasn't interested in trying any tubing, but he loved the boat. The girls on the other hand tubed with Danny and on their own and they loved it too! I was shocked, but so happy. They loved it so much that they decided that Danny and I should ask Santa for a boat this Christmas, and they would ask for kayaks. And if Johnny asked for a tube, well then we'd be set!! :) Even Danny did some kneeboarding, and the kids loved watching him.

Besides the kayak and boating, there was also an inflatable plaything for the kids and a paddle board, too. Honestly, there was no end to the fun! We even enjoyed some ribs and pork that Rob and Justin were kind enough to smoke for dinner. And as if all of that weren't amazing enough, Danny was a sweetheart and stopped for some famous Bear Lake raspberry shakes...just for me. :) We're so grateful that Danny's friends were kind enough to invite us, and can't wait to go again!