I love America

Americans get a bad rap with other nations and sometimes it's totally well deserved but other times it's not. I have traveled well for a 30 year old so I have seen enough of the rest of the world to compaer and I am always so thankful to call America home! I also love history! I might have been the only fifth grader who took actual joy in reading the play 1776 and then going on a field trip to Historical Williamsburg. I think that our lives are enriched by knowing what has gone on before us. Are you scared for my kids already?! You should be :) 

I always like to think about the history of America on the fourth of July, it's natural I think! I want my kids to take joy in our nation. This is our first fourth in a our new "small town" environment and we ate it up. We walked to the parade route on Broad St, soaked up the parade (although my twins were waiting for something Disney-like to happen and this small town parade was horses and political candidates :) and ate hot dogs for lunch on the way home. We had a great time though and eventually got to watch the fireworks go off over our house last night. Hope you all had a great 4th too!

I will steer clear of a political diatribe but I am thankful for the men that were bold enough to step forward to create this nation! Still timely and powerful words...

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..." (Declaration of Independence)

Our 3 kiddos waiting for the parade...

(And forgive that my 3 yr old is pulling a "brittany" with her skirt but there's only so much you can do with a 3yr old in a skirt :)

Our whole gang! (thanks friend that took this :)

Max's first lollypop! He loved it!

Daddy looks just as excited as Dean!

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!