Fourth of July 2013

I'm a few days behind - okay, 5 days behind on this posting but there were so many great moments for our evening of fireworks that I had to still post the photos.

We purchased a few very kid friendly fireworks to light this year. Since we watched a nearby hill burn for several days just prior to the 4th we also wanted to ensure nothing we bought would pose a fire hazard either.

Some of the items on our list included: sparklers, snakes, snap pops, tanks, pagodas, hens, smoke bombs, and one quiet colorful fountain called Angel Kiss. Next year (note to future self) - more smoke bombs (4-5 packages), more snap pops (6-12 packages), more sparklers (2-4 boxes), snakes (1-2 packages), no hens (they don't lay eggs as the package says), tanks (4-6 would have been plenty - in even numbers for battling), and pagodas (one for each child). The fountain was a good one. The kids don't like loud noises so we let them wear our ear protection and purchased the one fountain that was said to be mostly silent. It was pretty silent but T still did not care for it. We adults enjoyed it, though. The smoke bombs were by far the biggest hit. There was some intrigue from the snakes but. Everyone loved the snap pops. 

We did have one "friendship pagoda" that spun around, twirled, and exploded catching on fire which was great fun to watch but then the kids were sad that there was no pagoda standing. At least we had a few others but a couple were crushed so we did not get to see them pop up. Next year we will inspect before purchasing. 

Overall, it cost us about $40 for all the stuff we had and it took a good hour to light it all off. Our neighbors from across the street came over and enjoyed their fireworks along with ours. And our Good Neighbors from next door also joined in the fun. It's becoming an annual tradition. 

It is amazing to me how quickly time passes. Lil Sister, just two years ago, was sleeping through 4th of July and this year is a full on participant. Next year our newest little girl will hopefully be sleeping through all the excitement. We did have to wrap stuff up fairly early since both Hubby and I had to work the next day. It was actually a pretty quiet day at work for both of us since most folks were off enjoying the holiday. 

Some how kids just make these simple holidays more fun. Snap pops and sparklers would not light my face up unless my little ones were on the other side having a great time. In the end, despite feeling pretty sickly that day, my face was tired from all the smiling. 

Here are some of those photos...

Genie smoke.

Tank Wars.