The 4th of July

We love the 4th of July! We had been having a few days of heavy rain prior to the 4th, and of course it was right smack dab in the middle of our planned camping trip. But I refused to get bummed out about it, and I have to say that it ended up being really fun. We camped in a trailer up at Canyon Lake, and every time the rain would let up we would run to the beach and swim in the lake. Then when the clouds would roll in, we would book it back up to the trailer and have hot chocolate and play games. It was great! Even despite the fact that our trailer sprung a leak at 3am our first night, right above mine and Bryan's bed, we figured at least it didn't wake up the kids! And then on Saturday, it cleared up just enough for us to enjoy a really fun day out on the boat with a big group of friends, but not quite enough to lure the masses up there. So it was perfect!


For the first time since we moved to San Antonio, there has not been a "burn ban" in effect - so we were able to do our very own fireworks!! It was quite a little bit of nostalgia as Bryan and I picked out the fireworks from the little stand (the snakes, the wild spinning things, the fountains, the grand finale) and the best part was that they were seriously like $0.75 each! It's a far cry from driving to Evanston, Wyoming every summer...but it was still a pretty fun little front yard show. The kids really loved it. Ruby was quite nervous, as you can see from the pictures, and she wouldn't get near the sparklers. She eventually warmed up to the loud noises, thanks to some red white and blue cookies, and ended up enjoying the night with the rest of us.

Then on Monday morning, the 5th, we all went to a little breakfast and bike parade at the church. It was a hit! The kids loved their decorated bikes, scooters, roller blades, and helmets, and we had a fun time taking pictures and enjoying a beautiful morning. Later that afternoon we had a 4th of July BBQ at our house with about 40 people (25 of whom were kids!). Bryan smoked a 10 lb. brisket and some sausage, and I, of course, made the flag jello and homemade ice-cream with Texas sheetcake for dessert. It was a really fun time, with good food and great friends.