let freedom ring

We had a pretty fun 4th of July this year. We decided to take it pretty easy, being that it was in the middle of the week and that we are all tired. Later in the week we each spent a day or two dealing with a bad head cold, so I'm extra glad we didn't overdo things.

The only shot I got where both of them are looking.

On Tuesday evening we checked out the Flags for Freedom display in Merriam. They have over a thousand flags set up. Will loved seeing so many flags and it was fun to hear him try to count them all. We took a short walk through the flags and to a walking trail. When we crossed over the bridge Will wanted to stop and look for an octopus. Not a lot of octupi in the nearly dried up streams this summer.

The boys marching through the flags.

The girls laughing at how silly they looked.

On Wednesday we had some friends over for a BBQ picnic. Good friends, new friends, and delicious food. A recipe for success in my opinion.

Later that evening we decided to check out the fireworks. 

Will was pretty excited, but prefered the safety of TJ's lap.

Lauren sat on my lap once the show began, but before the action started she was content to sit on the blanket and chew on her glow stick. She usually goes to bed around 7, so she did great considering she was up 3 hours past her bedtime.

All in all a pretty fun day. And to top it off, Will fell right asleep when we got home and slept in until 8:15 the next day.

I've been thinking a lot about my patriotism (is that the right word?) lately. Several of the books I have recently read (Johnny Tremain, Destiny of the Republic) or am currently reading (Team of Rivals) have to do with various periods of American history. I'm grateful that we have a day set aside to remember the history of our nation because I get lazy and forget about the amazing events that occured in our past. Things that are important to remember.