{Our 4th}

Well, I put my big girl panties on Wednesday, despite feeling sick, and we had ourselves a nice day. I knew (as I always have known) that if my kids were to have any fun, it was up to me, not their party-pooper father. So, there we were, at the parade, in the sweaty sun, watching pretty cars and streamers go by. We put our hands on our hearts when we saw our favorite flag and clapped extra loud when the fireman passed. Morg's favorites were the police cars and mine was the vintage pink cadillac. And by the end, he had a bag of candy so big he couldn't even carry it. We went to lunch, bought some fireworks and then came home for a nap. We had dinner outside and then played with sparklers right before Morg's bedtime. When it was finally dark, we snuck out to watch the fairground fireworks from our front yard, just like we do every year. It's a perfect crowd-less view, and I could never turn down the private company of one Mr. Keller.

Later that night, I noted this:

Things that make me terribly happy: homemade root beer, chocolate ice cream, red tulips, poetry, sincere prayer, old furniture, growing a garden, watching the sun set, having my mountains nearby, rocking my babies to sleep, evenings on the porch, afternoon naps, snuggling in bed, kissing my husband and being completely free.

God bless this beautiful place we call home.