the 4th of july!

the 4th of july! one of my favorite holidays! one i look forward to all year with much anticipation... almost as much as christmas!

the festivities for the 4th start the day before for us as of the last couple of years. we go to a bbq at my friend's parents' home and then we trek up to the golf course for fireworks. it's become one of my favorite traditions! my girls were excited about it this, but loved it even more because my friend's mom (who is an excellent painter!) did face painting. you better believe they stood in line for that first thing!

they usually have bounce houses and slides and this year, this is the only picture we got of that. but the girls love that too! right along with the snow cones and endless cotton candy.

only a couple of us were able to make it this year which was a little sad, but we had a great time being able to visit with just 3 of us! i love these girls and we hope this tradition continues forever!!!

no picture of the fireworks but it should be noted that literally five minutes before the fireworks started kendall had to go to the bathroom. not just number one either... so i picked her up and literally ran down hill of the golf course (in 100 degree weather) and we barely made it to the porta potties by the time the fireworks started going off. she went quickly and then i carried her and ran back up the hill. i was exhausted by the time we got back to the group. adi was sad and tired so i tried comforting her until the fireworks were over. kendall then let us know she needed to go potty again! holy cow. what?! we told her she had to hold it, which she's very good at doing. well, apparently all the fresca she drank right before the fireworks was catching up to her very quickly and she wet her pants in the stroller. poor girl! she was so sad about it, but turned immediately happy as soon as i let her know we had a fresh pair of undies back at the van for her. she was thrilled! i was just flat out tired. next year, we'll be better prepared for that!

we had the kids in pjs and in their beds by 11pm and we were getting them up at 7am the next morning to head down to our neighborhood flag raising and breakfast. a new tradition to us and one that we fell hard for and plan on doing again and again! the girls loved it! the getting up early didn't phase them one bit. james and i loved starting the 4th out in such a patriotic way.

the home where the breakfast takes place is in the heart of bountiful and is like the perfect backdrop for something patriotic like this as well. the playlist in the background was a world war two station and it seriously felt like something straight out of a movie. charmingly quaint and beautiful! the pancakes and other food was delicious and we left full and ready for the next event on the docket.

brunch/swimming at our house mid day on the 4th has also become a tradition. it's so nice to be able to let the kids cool off and play in the water, eat some more good food, visit, and do it all without the crowds! we love it and definitely plan on sticking to this tradition. this year i did blueberry muffins and a stove top mac and cheese (from martha stewart, look it up! so good!). we had watermelon, drinks, licorice, and the like. the other plus to this activity is it wears the kids out early for a good nap, allows us adults to nap, and then everyone's ready and refreshed to stay up for fireworks.

so we parted ways, napped, showered, got all ready, chels and i made a swig run, and then we all met up at my in laws for a delicious bbq. 

we ended up with so much food we literally did a repeat meal the next meal. so yummy!

i bought my girls' coordinating dresses clear back in february and i was so excited to finally get them all dressed up in them! adalyn's is my personal favorite!

after dinner was cleaned up we caravan-ed up to kaysville for what we think are the best fireworks of the summer. the kids get to go play in bounce houses with their daddies, while us mommies watch the babies and eat all the treats we bring.

as it starts to get dark, we pull out all the glow in the dark stuff and snuggle up for the fireworks. this year, brooklyn and kendall couldn't help but get up and dance for the first little bit. james has cute video of this but i can't get it to load. by the end, everyone was snuggled up together and it was seriously just the best! it's all so magical for me, and i'm the mom, and also 31 years old. i hope i'm creating magical memories for my girls too. these summer nights spent together watching fireworks, sweating to death, and then tiredly making our way back to the van are really some of my most treasured memories. i think about them all winter long and get teary eyed! not even kidding.

we had the best 4th and i'm so glad we did. it's such a great day to celebrate and remember how great this country is that we live. i know i'm proud to be an american and i want my girls to feel the same. i say it every year, and i'll say it again, i don't know if next year's 4th can top this one. but i'd love to see it try!