The fourth.

The fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. As a kid, I spent most at the fairgrounds of Pocatello, Idaho amongst picnic blankets full of family. My favorite part of Summer. Lighting off our own fireworks, spending the afternoon at a barbecue, putting on my best red, white, and blue. When I met Brian, it took on a new meaning. It was on the fourth that we "met again" at a friend's boyfriend/friend's fourth of July bonfire. Safe to say the fireworks weren't the only sparks that flew that night. Two years ago it was also on the fourth that we discovered that we were expecting again. We spent that one with a group of friends in Prescott, wandering the town and heading to a park to watch fireworks as the sun set. When we left for our destination, I had an inkling. By that night, I was certain.

This year felt equally special. The day started out rainy. For most, it would be a fourth of July nightmare. We even had a picnic planned ourselves, but rain is always welcomed by our troop and we easily adjusted. We ended up wandering a patch of desert near where Brian and I grew up. Water has a huge healing effect on us. I love to get my scales wet- be it a swim or a walk in the rain. We had fun dancing, jumping, and twirling amongst the cacti and dirt. We were soaked when we piled into the car, kind of muddy too, but it only made our grins grow larger. Afterwards, we grabbed some especially delicious food for lunch. The kids tried to escape onto the balcony to play and succeeded for awhile. I had to capture the sweet ringlets that the rain created in Eisley's hair. Maybe she'll be a curly girl like mama after all? While Eisley napped, I threw together some super quick, super inexpensive flower crowns to add some red to our ensembles. We spent the evening at my mom's, then headed to a local park to watch fireworks from afar. The kids had a blast with the gigantic glowsticks we found. They kept busy while we waited by venturing around with the area with Dad. Their favorite discovery was a group of beetles on the sidewalk. I took my boots off, relaxed, and held down our blanket of a fort. We also had fun experimenting with the kids' glowsticks and a slow shutter on our camera. Emerson ended up with the best shots! The one with the circular glow is my favorite! "Expesto Patronunum!" as Emerson likes to say.

It was probably the most humid day of the year. Despite the fact that our hair was big and sticking to our foreheads and our skin was glistening, we were happy to be outside. By the time the fireworks finally started, the kids were pretty tuckered out and not all that interested, as it usually goes. We nearly thought they'd fall asleep during the show, but they lasted until we got into the car. It was a day that was filled to the brim.

























PS: I'm loving blogging more presently! It lets me recount more vividly. And boy, have I been taking pictures galore.