Happy 4th!

We started out the day by riding in the parade - we were amazed! The girls pretty much rode the whole way (with a little break in the middle when we sat down on the curb collecting candy from the other riders before jumping back in and riding down the road). They loved it. When Meri did poop out near the end, she jumped in the stroller and sat waving at everyone lining the road like royalty. Jell got the biggest cheer I heard when she honked her bike's horn.

Last year's 4th was a fiasco - they were terrified of the fireworks. It was a total waste of the $10 we blew on legal Oregon fireworks that are about as tall as Meri.

This year, they loved it! So much more fun when they're not cowering inside, with tears streaming down their sad little faces! They loved sparklers, which we started with.

And, of course, they loved our visitors that dropped in to enjoy watching with the girls.

Jell loving the fireworks with Uncle Jim.

Meri did have to get used to the noise though.

All right, so there was a good deal of this:

But there was also a ton of this:

And this (even when we watched the lake show till like 3 hours past their bedtime):

And this:

Holidays and fireworks and everything just seem so much more magical when seen with children!