Happy 4th of July

LAND THAT I LOVE!

 We had a great 4th of July this year, pretty low key, but a lot of fun. Bill's objective was to come up with some great idea so we didn't have to go to the parade (I love the parade, he doesn't.)  So his brilliant idea was to take all the kids to the movies.  We slept in and then had a big delicious, relaxed breakfast (things you can't do if you're trying to make it to the parade.) Then at around 11:30 we went to the movies; Bill taking the little three to Cars 2, and I took the older three to Transformers 3 (since Bill had already seen it.)  Everyone had a great time at their movies, and we all gave both shows 2 thumbs up.  Then we went home, the kids played in the pool while the rest of us read or dozed or Bill decided to change a sprinkler head. :) Then we grilled some hamburgers, ate potato salad, and played/relaxed some more until it was time for fireworks.  Sparklers were awesome as always, only about one screamer, and the grand finale of a 7-minute whopper was pretty good.  We also had a good show from the neighbors fireworks, well, through and around a big tree in our way.  When we were finished, we tried to glimpse the moon through our new telescope (the moon hasn't been up since we got it), but we missed it.  So we tried looking at some stars, but there were just too many cars coming down the road then.  We did go out the next day, however, and the moon was AWESOME!  Anyway, the kids went to bed very tired, a little sticky, and smelling like mosquito spray mixed with sunscreen - all signs of a fun filled day.  I am just so thankful for a country that allows us these freedoms and a sincere thank you to all the men and women, present and past, who protect those rights for us.