We had originally decided we weren't going to buy fire works, but by Friday afternoon we broke down and took the kids out to pick some up. We got a good deal, and the kids were sooo beyond excited.
When we got home I threw together a quick back yard party plan. I re arranged the back yard furniture and we created our safety buffer zone to shoot off the fire works and keep everyone safe. (We also completed our yard work that was in DESPERATE need of getting done thanks to all of the rain we've had!!)
We ran to the store picked up some marshmallows, hot dogs, buns and cookies and chips and invited over some neighbors and their kids and we all got together and fired up the fire pit and lit the tiki torches! Glad we could invite neighbors over to hang out.
The kids had a blast roasting marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire pit, and then doing a few sparklers and watching my husband shoot off the fire works. I have this big thing with letting kids shoot off fire works, I'm completely against it. I don't even like sparklers, but I try to lighten up a LITTLE bit. Sparklers (lit by an adult), and snap pops, and yeh...that's all they get to shoot off right now!! Otherwise...they sit and watch in safety.
Meh. I don't care. Say what you will. At 7 and 6 my kids are too young to be shooting stuff off, I would like them to at least make it to age 10 or 12 with all of their appendages and eye balls in place. I've witnessed far too many fire works injuries in my life time (several of them their own father...) to allow my kids to shoot stuff off on their own any time soon.
We wrapped up our evening with ice cream cones and then everyone went home!
Saturday we got our day rolling and while it didn't start out the absolute best....we quickly got that changed and got our 4th on! We had a blast at the park, we rode the mini train, and we splashed around at the pool for an hour before it closed. The kids loved that, we haven't gone to the public pool in awhile and we all had a lot of fun. The kids went down the slides and had a blast (well cept my daughter who wore her terrified face the entire time, but she did it, and that counts for something!!)
Circus family riding the mini train through the park! It's rare we get a family shot of all of us together, so huge thanks to my friend who happened to be at the train station when we were!
Above: Daughter Circus contemplating going down this slide with Dad Circus. She was eye balling it, she wasn't so sure about this!! But since Daddy was with her...she figured she'd give it a shot.
Below: On the way down? She is wearing her TERRIFIED face! Clinging to her Dad's arm (he said she has one heck of a grip!!) (Mommy doesn't do water slides, no thank you, I hate them very much so if they want to do water slides, they have to go with Dad!) I was proud of my daughter for accomplishing going down this water slide! She didn't go down it again, but at least she did it once. Later my sons went down the twisty slide by themselves with Dad at the bottom to catch them.
Two (three) family photos in one day? Sure! Thanks to my OTHER friend for catching this shot of us at the local pool!
At the pool, doing what I do best...talking....imagine that?
Bounce house fun!
Above/Below: My sweet kiddos!
Face painting, yay!!
We picked up some neighbors so they could see the fire works later and we also saw an air show, and then watched some awesome city fire works set to music, loved it! When we came home our neighbors shot off their fire works, and well, that was the end of our 4th. It wasn't anything extravagant, but it was just perfect for us. We loved being home and having a simple 4th.
Waiting for fire works to start after the air show!
Above: hanging with my husband waiting for the fire works to start, I think at this point we were still watching the air show.
Below: FIRE WORKS TIME!!! They were awesome! They were set to music, and it was amazing!
Although I do miss the summers where the kids and I would travel to visit my Mother for a week and have a blast at her place! There was so much for kids to do there and they loved it. Plus it was great to see everyone back home. Will have to get back home again sometime.
Above: My daughter in 2011 when we went back home to visit my Mother for a week. Here she was in a local pageant. She is wearing a dress I made her for the 4th of July. She finally out grew this dress last year!! I was so sad when she couldn't wear it anymore! Love that dress. Below: Standing with Mom during the pageant.
Above: My boys in the local 4th of July pageant one summer when we were visiting my Mother. My sister helped me out with them.
We added a new addition to our home today. Our hamster passed away a year ago, and my daughter had wanted a new one, but one of my sons wanted a rabbit. I wasn't sure which one we should get, but I knew I wanted to get SOMETHING.
By chance....a gentleman that comes in to where I work was talking to me and asked me how old my kids were and if they were old enough for a pet. I laughed, and told him how we already have three dogs and two cats and have had a hamster and a beta fish. He proceeded to tell me about the guinea pig that he knew of that was in need of a home or it was going to be abandoned. I could NOT let that happen.
So today we went and picked up this little sweet heart. (who we do not know what her original name was the guy that had her when we picked her up only knew that she was two, but didn't know her name). He was kind enough at least to care for her, and to find her a home (for a family member of his). So for that, I thank him very much for keeping her safe! We are happy to have her!
Unfortunately, she had been kept in a basement, and then in a garage, and all of last nights fire works going off scared the living day lights out of her, soooo she's going to need to calm down and get used to our home for a couple of days poor sweet baby! She is/was used to being handled but hasn't been handled AS MUCH over the past several months so I'm hoping we can get her back to where she was. She is two years old. I had guinea pigs growing up and they are the sweetest most social little critters! They look like a hamster and are the size of a small rabbit so I think it was a good compromise for everyone, right?!
I can't wait to fix up her big ol' cage and get it full of toys and fun things for her to do! LOVE guinea pigs!
Now that my weekend is done...I get to head back to work tomorrow. Oh yay...*sigh* Days off go by way too quickly.
Mom Circus
