Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!

As we take the time to celebrate our nation and reflect on the freedoms and blessings we as Americans sometimes take for granted, I am thankful to be living in the greatest country in the world!!!

We began our festivities on Wednesday. Our town sponsored a celebration with a live band and a fireworks show. We're usually gone on the 4th, so this was our first time to attend. I tried to prepare the girls to not expect too much...Boy, was I wrong! They went all out. The fireworks alone lasted 30 minutes. Poor Katherine and her sensitive ears still haven't recovered! But we had a great time.

Last night, our friends, Perri (or, as Isaac says, "Ms. Pee-Wee") and Chad came over for a cookout. We enjoyed a nice, relaxing evening with them. But after they left, we were up until after midnight with Dylan trying to rescue a baby rabbit on the brink of becoming an early holiday treat for our cat, Sara. (We saw Mama Bunny happily hopping around our backyard today, so we're convinced that our efforts weren't in vain.)

Today was much more low key. Scott started a slow process of cooking some ribs last night and finished them by lunch today. They were delish! We ate outside, and just as we had finished, we heard a sound coming through the trees and as we realized it was rain, everyone started screaming and grabbing the food. It was pretty funny...especially when we realized after we were inside and catching our breath that Isaac was missing. We found him still screaming and laughing and running in circles outside!