The 4th done right

I love the 4th of July. I probably should say my love stems from admiration of the founding fathers' lofty ideals and patriotic vision. Wouldn't that sound noble? Well, not that I'm not grateful to the founding fathers, but I'm not sure my love has all that much to do with the document signed 235 years ago.

I'm not certain at what point the 4th of July became one of my favorite holidays. It may have something to do with the fact that it was the first holiday we celebrated after Molly was born. Or, maybe it's the simplicity of it - it's a holiday, but it doesn't require major planning, family organizing, or huge time commitments. Or, it could be that the 4th makes for some awesome scrapbook pages. You can't beat the red, white and blue colors, or the quality of all the outdoor shots you get. It could also be the fact that you get to spend the majority of the holiday outside. See, I really like warm weather. You'd think that my pasty (right, I mean porcelain) skin heritage would draw me to cold, chilly, cloudy weather. I have ancestors from Norway, Scotland and English, after all. Those aren't exactly bikini hot spots. But, no. I love warmth and sun. Well, I enjoy sitting in the shade on a sunny day. So, as much as I love Christmas and Thanksgiving, they are indoor holidays. The 4th? It's an outdoor, warm weather, sunny holiday.


So, there are a lot of reasons I love the 4th, and the birth of the nation may not be that big of a factor. To be fair, though, I did watch a LOT of "How the States got their Shapes" on the History Channel this past weekend. I think that counts as appropriately patriotic.

Anyway, this 4th started early in the morning. We have run in the Lenexa Freedom Run forever. Since Cory and I first started dating. It's not a huge race, but it's a fun race, chock full of our own personal history. The race gives awards for the top five finishers in each age group. I was determined to get a medal, so I decided to do the 10K instead of the 5K. Better chance to medal that way. We were all up and ready to roll by the time the race started at 7am. Luckily, both sets of grandparents came along to watch the girls while Cory and I ran.

Anne ran her first Lenexa Freedom Run this year.

Molly and Charlotte waiting for us to finish.

Can you find me? I'm so close to finishing ...

Family picture after the race. 

Yay, my 4th place finish was good enough for a medal. I'll take it!

After the race, we raced home (get it?) to change and get back for the parade. We meet a bunch of people in our standard spot (right in front of the bank). It's got shade (remember I like to sit in the shade?) and lots of grass. It's perfect. We all bring food and enjoy the cars, clowns, bands and floats.

The kids thought their flags made excellent swords. At least they're not burning them, I guess.

Charlotte.

Jake and Charlotte lovin' the parade.

Molly.

Our parade-watching crowd.

Me and Charlotte.

Another 4th family picture. We are much less sweaty in this one.

Two 4th cuties.

After naps, we headed over to our friends for a 4th party. The kids were thrilled. Sprinklers, pool, and water balloons. Well, all the kids except Charlotte. She is still terrified of the water. I can't explain that one at all. We even ate pizza in order to honor our Italian roots. Oh wait, we don't actually have any Italian roots. Oh well, the pizza was delicious. 

Charlotte was already wary of getting anywhere close to the water.

We have pictures of these girls in the same pool when they were 1.  My how they've grown.

Water  Balloons!

Check out who's in the window behind.

Cuties on the 4th!

So, we had a great 4th of July. And, even if our attempts to explain to Molly the reasoning behind the 4th went very poorly, it was a successful celebration of America's birthday. One day, I think we'll even stay up late enough to watch fireworks. One day.