Nothing like watching your money go up in smoke...literally!

So it's no secret that the 4th of July is a favorite holiday in our household. How could it not be considering it's my dad's birthday. Sadly he has yet to experience a 4th of July in Washington and boy what a treat it is. The weekend began with our annual homeowners association festivities. This year, with about 15 minutes notice, Ty decided he wanted to participate in the kick-off parade. Kids decorate themselves and their bikes and follow behind several fire engines that do a loop around the neighborhood. I have to say I was quite impressed with what Ty was able to come up with in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately, I didn't have any cool 4th of July decorations laying around that he could use but he's not one to let that minor issue prevent him from being a part of it.




Straight from the parade we head over to our big neighborhood park for an afternoon of bouncing, rolling, sliding, riding, and eating! It's always nice to see our homeowners association fees actually paying off! Luckily, the carnival took place on Saturday where the weather held and we ended up with a beautiful afternoon and evening.






Unfortunately we can't say the same for the evening of the 4th. I'd like to say that the fog in the background was just smoke from all the fireworks but unfortunately, just hours before our show would begin, fog actually worked it's way into the area. Thankfully, it passed before the show but not without a few sprinkles also making their way through. We didn't let that stop us from lighting up the sky although it is funny to see the range of clothing from shorts and flip flops to ski parkas and rain boots.

If there is one splurge I have to give in on with Jack, it's letting him burn through a stash of cash on the 4th. Ty and Connor see nothing wrong with this...



The intro to the night includes sparklers, smoke bombs, worms, bottle rockets, fire crackers and those spinning flowers that I cannot stand...



Then we move into the fountains and roman candles. The roman candles scare me to death because the boys hold onto them, pointing them up to the sky while these balls of fire come flying out. This year we almost had a big problem when one of the boys' good friend had one in his hand but after the first one came out he thought it was done, pointed it at Connor, while at the same time watched another fire ball unexpectedly fly out toward Connor's face. Jack quickly grabbed it and pointed it upward. Thankfully I didn't witness this but hearing about it was enough to put me over the edge. Clearly, roman candles weren't something this boy had ever experienced. I think most smart people actually place them in a bucket and light them...



Then we move into the big stuff. Our street was full of bursts of light up in the sky. The on and off drizzle didn't stop any of us from enjoying it! We had about ten families come and join in on the fun. I wasn't able to get photos of everyone but here are a few shots of the fun...






I'm just thankful I can say that all limbs, faces, and eyebrows are still intact...until next year...