four days of the fourth.

The thing about the 4th of July being on a Monday: a long weekend and 4 straight days celebrating our beautiful country.

Or maybe that was just us.

On Friday, we headed to Chicago to attend the C Family 4th of July extravaganza.

We love going to Chicago and seeing Chris's extended family. There is a whole hoard of tween/teen cousins that are so good with Carly, and she sure loves having a posse following her around. We enjoyed lots of food and lots of time in the pool in the beautiful backyard of Chris's aunt and uncle. And doggies and ice cream and Aurelios pizza.

And flashlights.

Turns out, Carly has a thing for flashlights.

[headed to the BBQ/pool party.]

We spent an other-worldly amount of time in the pool.

At our last pool experience, Carly wasn't a huge fan, but this time around she took to it like . . . a fish to water. Chris swimming-parent dad was drooling, I think.

After perfecting her form, Carly got down to the business of play.

 Carly's great-aunt Laurie brought out a bucket, a water toy, and a cup.

And Carly was occupied for a very very long time.

We enjoyed having fun with family, relaxing, and did I mention eating?

[family time.]

[water baby.]

After dinner, as the sun started setting, Uncle Pete started lighting fireworks.

It was Carly's first experience with fireworks and she spent it looking like this:

But after every one he lit, everyone would clap and cheer, so I guess she decided they were ok, though it wasn't clear if she actually liked them or not.

We left Chicago on Sunday after a weekend that passed too quickly.

But the party didn't stop.

Independence Day morning looked like this:

[perfect form.]

We invited our friends Cameron, Camilla, and Kennedy to go swimming with us, since Carly was such a big fan over the weekend. It was fun, but the pool at our complex is not as warm as Uncle Pete's pool, and Michigan was not as warm as Chicago on that particular morning, so we only lasted a few hours.

After Carly's nap, we headed out to the BBQ being held at our Bishop's house.

Then off to the Parade in his little town.

Turns out it was a parade of about 800 tractors, a few politicians, and a few advertisements.

But it's the thought that counts, right? Maybe.

Carly kept watching like, "What the heck are these people doing?".

But there were firetrucks, and horses, so we'll take it.

[a slice of Americana.]

[parade-goers.]

[American beauty.]

And in true Independence Day fashion, we ended the day with fireworks. We went to the small town show, and sat on the outskirts of the fairgrounds to avoid traffic. Carly started off excited, and identified the different bright colors with daddy, but it had been a long day, and she eventually covered her face with her towel in exhaustion. But I love the 4th, and I love fireworks, so I was grateful we went, as it has been a few years since we sat and watched a fireworks show.



It was a long and fantastic weekend.

At church on Sunday, someone shared a quote that I wish I could find about how patriotism should be an everyday attitude, and not just bursts of pride once a year. It reminded me that I should be grateful for this great country all the time. That I should pray and express that gratitude year-round, and teach my children to feel the same way and appreciate how lucky we are to live where we do.

But the bursts of pride once a year are fun, too.

Hope your four days of The Fourth were fab.


Late Edit: my sweet friend Laura knew the quote! Thanks, Laura, for saving me from insanity.

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." -Adlai Stevenson

I was a little off, but fabulous quote, right?