Happy Fourth of July!!

Let me start by wishing everyone a happy Fourth! I hope that you all had a fun and safe weekend. As I ponder the reason that we celebrate this wonderful day, I am struck by the sacrifice that so many made in order for us to have the ability to enjoy our lives and liberties. I recently finished reading 1776 and really have a greater appreciation for our founding fathers, as well as our founding principles. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about our history. I am also so grateful to the men and women who continue to serve our nation, preserve our freedoms, and fight for the freedom of our brothers and sisters who don't have the liberties that we have. I honestly believe that all of us are born with a soul that longs to have freedom and the ability to make their own choices. Hopefully, there will come a time when that can be the case for all of God's children.

On a lighter note, we had a fantastic holiday weekend. On Friday, we took a trip to North Carolina Beach in Wilmington. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera but we plan to go back in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I won't make the same mistake twice!! It was a perfect day for the beach. There was a light breeze so it never got too hot. Growing up in northern California, I visited the beach often, but you don't actually go in the ocean. The water is way too cold without a wetsuit so our trips to the beach were more for the scenery than actually swimming. I love that here on the east coast, you can swim in the ocean. My two oldest children would spend every second in the water if they were allowed. I had to drag them out every now and then to drink water and get a snack. It was a beautiful day and I look forward to our next trip.

On Saturday, we planned a bbq with our family and friends. It turned out to be quite a fun evening. We had good food, family, and friends--what more could you ask for?!! My camera doesn't take very good pictures at night but I tried.


Here are some of the kids jumping on the trampoline, waiting for it to get dark enough for fireworks.


The glowsticks were a hit with all the kids.


Here is a picture of Trevor with Aunt Cassie.


Here is Jocelyn with Nana.


Here is the first firework we lit. Pretty impressive, right?!! They did get better, I promise. It just got too dark for my camera to take a picture worth anything. The kids had an amazing time. Trevor laughed and screamed through them all. It makes it so much more exciting to watch things through the eyes of your children.


Just a token picture of Trevor since he never seems to be too far away from the camera!!

Again, Happy Fourth of July!! Now on to the second half of the year. Can you believe that 2009 is halfway over?