It was the Fourth of July, and Erin and I got have our own little Independence Day. The kids had spent the night at Grandma and Pop-Pop’s, so we had the strange experience of sleeping in and having a nice, lazy morning. I hold these truths to be self-evident…lazy Saturday mornings are awesome.
When I eventually stirred, I did make a quick run to the store for a few things we’d need for our little Fourth of July gathering with the kids and their grandparents a little later that day. Erin was making peach cobbler, and I decided to pick up some tomatillos to make a nice salsa verde. It’s super easy to make and you can check out the recipe here.
Back from the store, I made the salsa and whipped up some veggie omelets for Erin and me. We sat out back and enjoyed a nice, peaceful brunch.
That afternoon, we headed over to Erin’s parents’ house and had a really nice time with them and the kids. Amelia and Henry were having a blast, pushing each other around in a cart when we first arrived.
There was a little bit of a storm that blew through in the late afternoon, but it cleared out quickly and left behind a really lovely evening. We had some burgers, pasta salad and sweet corn, and watched the sun go down over the mountains.
Pop Pop had bought some Pop Its for the kids, which is something they look forward to every Fourth of July.
They went through about 10 boxes in the span of 20 minutes or so. For the rest of the night, walking around in the backyard meant probably setting off a snap or two. It was like a WWI battlefield…filled with unexplored ordinance.
When it got a little darker, Pop Pop broke out the good stuff. First, these little spinner/flower things, that the kids went crazy for. This was Henry’s first time with up close fireworks, and I think he fell in love.
Later came two little tanks that put on a quite show…
And then some Roman candles that were an enormous hit for everyone.
It was a lot of fun and the kids were all smiles. When it got darker, we saw a few bigger fireworks in the distance, and also took in the beautiful moon that night.
The kids got to stay for one more night, so Erin, Asta and I headed home. There were plenty of fireworks going on in our neighborhood, so we sat out front and watched those for a little while.
All in all, a good Fourth of July. I finished it out, as I always do, by watching the movie, Independence Day. No real life president will ever give a speech as inspiring as President Whitmore’s. “Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!” It gives me goosebumps every time. There are plenty of cringeworthy moments in that movie, but that scene is pretty great.
