4th of July

We had a great 4th of July. Joe is usually gone for the 4th of July and he was actually home today. It was nice to have him home for fireworks. We started out the morning with a parade in Georgetown. Joe was actually marching in the parade with the Army band and the kids loved seeing Daddy in the parade. Lauren waved at all the cars and she loved the animals. Will loved the candy that was thrown from the floats. We came home and ate a quick lunch before naps.

This evening we all went outside and played with our neighborhood buddies. The kids rode bikes and scooters. Mollie even got to play with Shelly and she had a great time running around the court. As it got darker, we got out the campfire and made s'mores and played with sparklers. Will loved the sparklers this year - last year he wasn't so sure of them! He was running around with them with his arm out as far as he could hold it. Lauren loved the sparklers, but didn't like the fireworks. Mr. John got some BIG fireworks (I hear they were from Alabama) and Joe and Will stayed outside to enjoy the fireworks together. The last time Joe was home for the 4th of July was when Will was one. This is Joe's last night at home and I'm glad that he got to spend it with Will. I brought Lauren in for bed because she wasn't fond of the fireworks. Mollie didn't mind the noise and she slept through all the big bangs! YEAH. Ella was always so afraid of the fireworks and we never got any sleep through the month of July. Will and Lauren eating s'mores. Lauren is such a character....

Will enjoying his sparkler. He really enjoyed them this year. This is the first year that he has enjoyed the 4th of July festivities. I have always dreaded the 4th of July because of the noise, but this year was so much fun!Will and Lauren with our neighbors during the fireworks. The fireworks had just begun and we learned that Lauren did not like them. I still got a picture, though Lauren looks less than happy.