We brought Charmin along to all of our celebrations!
On July 4th we mostly hung out in the backyard all day (mowed the grass, splashed in the pool, practiced archery with Tyson, grilled hamburgers for dinner) because it was unseasonably cool for July (upper 70s and low 80s F) and then as the sun got lower in the sky we headed over to the kids’ school to watch the fireworks show that would take place once it got dark. They shoot off the fireworks at the county fairgrounds, but it’s always VERY crowded there and the school is closer and we can see the fireworks just fine from there, so it’s a great spot.
You can’t get much more American than watching fireworks in the back of an old red pickup truck. Well...maybe if we were wearing cowboy hats and boots too...
The other bonus of watching the show at the school is that the kids get to play on the playground while we wait! Audrey helped Charmin get to the top of the jungle gym.
It’s getting dark...
Charmin hangs out with Audrey waiting for the show to start.
Ooooh...ahhhh!
Teeny made sure Charmin wasn’t scared of the loud noises.
The next day was Saturday, and we made our way out to my husband’s parents’ house in Madison. Once again, a helpful map:
We are at A and their house is B. It’s about a 2-hour drive.
Here’s Teeny holding Charmin in the backyard. Every year near the 4th of July they have a big family barbecue and fireworks show.
Many of the kids’ aunts, uncles, and cousins were there and we grilled more hot dogs and hamburgers, plus we had potato salad and chips- usual 4th of July barbecue food!
Here’s a pretty view looking off to the east. Their house is surrounded by rolling hills and farmland.
Teeny sits on the front steps with her “Nanny” (grandma) and Charmin. Love how she decorated the house for Independence Day!
Time for sack races- wait, is that a teddy bear in that sack between Tyson and Charlotte?
It is! Hello, Charmin!
Tyson poses with Charmin and his prize from the sack race- some disguise glasses with a nose and mustache.
Charmin takes a break, wearing a toy snake that was Charlotte’s prize from the sack race.
Watermelon, anyone? Watermelon is a 4th of July must-have!
Audrey helps Charmin enjoy some.
Tyson helps Charmin roast a marshmallow for a s’more.
I think he likes it.
How did this silly little bear get marshmallow on his ear??
No worries, it washed right off.
As it got dark, everyone got glow necklaces and flags.
Then we had ANOTHER fireworks show, courtesy of Chad’s parents and a truckload of fireworks they got for the occasion! All the dads lit the fuses and ran. :-) These were louder, so my hands were busy helping Teeny cover her ears so she wouldn’t be scared.
All in all, a very fun weekend! So glad Charmin could celebrate with us.
Do you guys have any special holidays that require decorative explosions?
Wow, Nanny's house looks stunning! My mind is a bit boggled that you consider "low 80s" to be "unseasonably cool". It never goes over 80 here.
ReplyDeleteThat looks so much fun! We have our fireworks in November when we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. We commemorate the foiling of the gunpowder plot on 5th November 1605, so in a way we're celebrating our freedom too. We have a big bonfire on which we burn an effigy of poor old Guy Fawkes, and fireworks and sparklers, and often we eat jacket potatoes cooked in the bonfire. It gets dark really early in November - before 5pm - so we can start our celebration around teatime and the kids can still get to bed on time. It's good fun.
Tag is going out and about tomorrow, so watch this space!
Our usual temperatures in the summer are in the upper eighties to mid nineties fahrenheit, with pretty high humidity as well. I think that the hurricane (Arthur) that passed just to the south of us sucked all the heat and humidity away and brought down some cooler air from the north!
ReplyDeleteAs for Guy Fawkes, we’d never heard of him! Thanks for teaching us something new! Sounds like an interesting holiday. :-)