A Rainy 4th of July

Independence Day this year fell in the midst of the unbelievably cool temperatures for this late in the summer. But, one of the reasons for the cool temperatures is usually rain. That's how we spent our 4th of July morning. The Upper Arlington parade is always a big show, so we weren't going to miss it for a little summer shower. I told my friend Vanessa we were going, and she was so excited there was a parade going on that she could bring her kids to. So, Mierae and Jolie had Tyler and Casey with them for our patriotic outing.




This is the reason I love to bring my kids to a parade.




And it made my heart happy to see Jolie waving her American flag.


The drizzle of moisture at the beginning of the parade turned into some light showers, so we busted out the umbrellas and watched in style.



We had an indoor BBQ after the parade, complete with Vanessa's and my flag cake. She had the strawberries, I had the blueberries. Was it a perfect match or what?!


We were sad that it wasn't the best weather for swimming. Our friends left after lunch, and we all took a nap. It was mostly for Mierae so that she wouldn't have a meltdown when we kept her up to watch the fireworks.

The afternoon was spent trying to entertain the kids indoors. We ended up using our Giant Eagle cookie cards as an excuse for an outing, and I just happened to see "High School Musical" on a fabulous sale there, so I picked it up and we watched a show before dinner. :) We were glad when our friends Kim and Ryan called us up to tell us where they were sitting for the Upper Arlington fireworks that night. We got out the door quickly and met up with our friends. Mierae and Jolie were very happy for more company.

The ground was wet, but the rain was gone. Eric did a great job entertaining the kids before the "show" by blowing bubbles for them to catch, playing paper, rock, scissors and guessing games to get candy, doing ring-around-the-rosies, and giving piggy-back rides around the park.





Jolie tried to eat as many snacks as possible.




It was exciting when we heard the first blast from the fireworks. It was so fun to have a front-row seat to the action. I had been waiting for this moment for weeks. This is what the girls thought of it all.



If I could choose any night for my kids to stay up late for fun and excitement, the 4th of July would be the night.

Every year on this holiday, I wonder why I was so blessed to be born in this country. I wonder why I came to a home that had the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And because I don't exactly have the answers, I am just filled with gratitude. God bless America!