*~*~ 4th of July! *~*~

We had a great time on the 4th of July! We all dressed in our RED, WHITE, and BLUE and headed out for the local parade. We had a slow start when our battery gave out not even half-way there. Someone brought back his battery booster and we were on our way...again!

The parade was a lot of fun! We had a great spot around many friends. We were able to see everything and the kids got all sorts of fun stuff including flags, footballs, and tons of candy! After the parade we walked down the street to where our church had a booth set up. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks, watermelon, and snow cones! The kids got balloons and played on all the inflatible fun stuff that was set up.

We went back home afterwards and the kids had more fun playing outside and in the sprinkler. It was a busy day!

We headed out to the brand new Wal-Mart for diapers and a few other necessities. As we were leaving a big storm was starting. The sky was black and as we drove toward Lakefront Park the lightning, thunder, and rain was crashing down. The closer we got to the park the better the weather became. We pulled into one of the last parking spots under the bridge and sat in the car watching everyone around us. The lightning subsided and we brought out the stroller and chairs. It was still raining but we were nice and dry under the bridge. The fireworks show was supposed to begin at 9:30 but due to a delay they began at 10:10! There were other people setting off fireworks around us and the kids were so excited and had a lot of fun with them. Hayley was a riot! She would yell "Yay!!" at the top of her lungs and clap every time she saw one. By the time the actual show started she was getting sleepy. No one had a nap that day! She was sitting on my lap and would lift her head and say a half-hearted "Yay!" when one went off and then immediately lay her head abck down. Eventually I looked down and she was sound asleep. She slept on my lap the remainder of the show, through the Grand Finale and all! Hudson was mesmerized by the lights and sounds. Helene was a little timid but I think she actually enjoyed it. Havana and Haddon had a blast! A family next to us gave all the kids neon glow necklaces so they had a great time with them.

Well, we're off to Ireland on Monday! Please pray that we have a safe trip! Our next update will be all about our trip and filled with pictures! See you soon!

PS-Check out Hudson's new favorite spot...