This year, the weather on the 4th of July was sufficiently mild that we did not mind being out of doors for the afternoon.  We had our church picnic that day and everyone had a good time.  As far as I know, anyway.  Unless they were only being "Minnesota nice."  Sheesh, we "foreigners" could get really paranoid around here.  I can say with certainty that our family had a good time. 

Johanna helped me decorate a patriotic pan of brownies.

John (on the left) and Randy grilled up the burgers and hot dogs. 

Here was our lovely spot under the trees.  It was quite pleasant there until someone from another group started setting off huge (and probably illegal) firecrackers not far away.  But that was about the only thing to mar our idyllic setting.

Our group earned itself some strange looks with this "game."  Here's how it came about: somehow a foam ball got stuck in the tree, so someone threw a foam bat up to knock down the ball.  Of course the bat got stuck.  So, someone grabbed a set of bocce balls and everyone set to work, throwing the balls into the tree, attempting to dislodge the recalcitrant bat.  It took quite a while, but, finally one guy hit the bat loose, and William hit it down.  Sam really liked this game and insisted on standing right where the bocce balls usually came sliding down a branch.  Thankfully, he never got hit.  But his enthusiasm for the game led him to keep trying to throw bocce balls, and, in the process he hit little Caroline!  Thankfully, only tears resulted, no black eye, but we decided to try and redirect Sam's energies away from the bocce balls!

We knew that Sam wasn't going to make it there at the park until time for the fireworks, so we came home, did some sparklers in the back yard and watched the Washington D.C. and Boston fireworks on TV.  My poor deprived children never get to see live fireworks!  Someday, bedtime won't be so precious to us and we can let them stay up later.  In the meantime, sparklers in the back yard will have to do.   

Posted by opckid.reformedblogs.com

Sparklers are fun. However, I learned that if you're holding about 12 of them, and they are all lit at once, they get TOO hot and scorch your hand and melt and break apart.

As a random note, I also learned what the capital of Queensland in Australia is today.

See? I learn all sorts of things on summer vaction. *grins*

Posted by PeterRabbitPreschool

after some absence, I am reading blogs this evening! Very nice to see the pictures of your kids...and congratulations on the teaching job at the school! It will be a juggle, but you have juggled many things successfully before....
I'll be in touch again..miss you!

-Katrina

Posted by hrlabonte

Can you believe that they actually BANNED sparklers here? It was all over the news a few days before the 4th -- $500 to $1,000 fine for sparklers!

LOL, about getting everything out of the tree!!

~Heather

Edited by hrlabonte on Jul. 12, 2008 at 9:04 PM