Independence Day 2019

Fourth of July was going to be one for the books this year! I had made the new goal to be a better planner so this was my first holiday since then and I was going to accomplish what I had dreamed this holiday would become in future years. I also had the idea that since our neighborhood was putting on a firework show we could actually take the girls to see them and since we’d just be a few homes down from ours if they got too tired we’d head home and put them down and it would be okay if they were awake late (we even bought ear covers/protectors for them so we’d be prepared).

So for Independence Day I knew I wanted to make sure we all wear flag themed shirts/outfits as a family and incorporate going to a baseball game or going to a park and playing baseball as a family (since we’re so small this obviously wouldn’t be a real game, just a little practice hitting or catching or throwing type thing) then we’d grill burgers/hot dogs for lunch and eat rocket popsicles (or some other flag-colored sweet treat), then watch a baseball/Independence Day themed movie while napping and then do some sort of afternoon activity (sidewalk chalk, play in sprinklers/a pool, go for a bike ride, do a small hike, etc.), and finally eat dinner and watch fireworks. I want to have fun traditions, but ones we can switch around each year.

This year I was able to make sure we all had outfits (mom got Cara 2, I found a really cute lady bug themed one for Gwen, and then Larry and I went shopping for shirts the weekend before), but as far as the food part went our neighborhood was grilling up burgers so I decided to just make some grilled cheese for lunch (still American – since we had American cheese slices – right? Haha). We didn’t feel a baseball game would work with two too little kiddos so that was out. We did watch Sandlot (thanks to Stace for getting me that movie. I’ve also decided that movie is the summer equivalent of A Christmas Story haha), and the girls napped.

 

 

We didn’t do popsicles since we made cheesecakes for the party and we felt that was enough sugar – even though I didn’t even eat any of them because there were cookies, but I had sugar and that was the point haha. After the girls woke up we walked over to the playground that the neighborhood party was at and Cara played with all the other kids while we just watched and said hi to some of the neighbors. It was honestly a perfect afternoon watching her play on her own and we got to stand off to the side with Gwen (who loves being in the grass). The food was really great, we got quite a few compliments on the cheesecakes we made, and we even had actual conversations with neighbors (something I’ve been trying to be better at).

 

 

Unfortunately, it started to get really windy soon after dinner and we didn’t bring jackets (because it’s early July – who wears jackets at any point that month?) so it started to get pretty chilly for us. Then the clouds started looking ominous and it started sprinkling so once we heard that they were going to hold off on doing fireworks for the night and they’d do them tomorrow night we decided to call it a night and walk home. We did end up putting on a fireworks video from YouTube on our living room TV to let the girls see fireworks - that counts right? After that we just relaxed until their normal bedtime for the night. It turned out the storm was very short lived and never got too wet so they are now putting on the fireworks (that the girls are sleeping through so far). So while we did end up missing them, which is a bummer, the girls (and us) still had a lot of fun and it was a memorable 4^th for us. We also talked to Cara around lunch time about soldiers and why we celebrate the holiday so it was everything I had hoped for (minus not seeing real fireworks)