Our July 4th

We had a chill 4th this year.

Columbus has their fireworks on July 3rd, and while at first I was a bit bummed they weren't on the 4th, I decided its kinda fun to spread out the festivities and celebrate the eve of the 4th. :) The kids were excited all day and we headed to Ag Park about 2 hours before the fireworks were supposed to start. They had some free activities including bounce houses and kids crafts along with live music playing. We decided a slushie treat would be fun for the kids, even though I was already chilly at that point. (Again asking myself why I always forget Nebraska has chilly evenings!? July 4th + Nebraska = sweatshirts)

We were anxious to see how Makin handled the fireworks since last year I ended up taking him to the car because he was begging to get away from them. This year he did perfectly fine! I think it helped we were a little bit further away, plus he was older, plus hearing some other families shooting them off near us so it wasn't such a shock when the huge ones started. We did come prepared with head phones for him to wear to help block out the sound and a couple of stuffed animals to cuddle, but he took the headphones off and didn't even need to sit on my lap!

I love how much kids just appreciate these kinds of activities and make you enjoy your holiday even more with how excited they are. I just tried to tuck away the memories of their excitement.

Decked Out In Their Red White and Blue

A friend from church told us about a small town parade only 10 min or so from Columbus, so we headed there the morning of the 4th. We enjoyed the smaller crowds and the kids didn't have too much competition for the candy being thrown. (Which I would just rather do without!) It was a great way to spend the morning.

The afternoon was spent in the backyard with the kiddos. They attempted swimming but the water was too cold so they enjoyed the sandbox, and then had some of the usual grilled goodies. Great way to spend our day!