{independence day}

We didn't do much for the 4th of July yesterday because we still have a wall to finish upstairs and a garage floor to epoxy while our neighbors are out of town allowing us to store our junk in their garage. We decided not to let a rare three-day weekend go to waste and got some work done instead. We usually have a shin-dig and invite a bunch of friends, so it felt a little strange (and slightly disappointing, I'll admit) not to have the usual big party. However, we still saved some time for fun and our friend Patrick joined us since his wife is in Kansas right now.

The boys enjoyed their swimming pools during the day. It was only in the 80s yesterday so they were actually a little cold at first since we are used to swimming in the high 90s. But they got used to it pretty quickly.

Dean thought splashing Eli was so fun. Eli, not so much. They have separate pools because Dean's is too deep for Eli just yet.

The men set off fireworks in the cul de sac once the sun went down. Along with all our neighbors' fireworks, we had our own private show. Thank goodness there aren't any firework restrictions here because we love the show we see all the individual residents put on each year. It is pretty spectacular. Not to mention, Dev LOVES playing with fireworks. And Deano has finally reached the age where he enjoys them too. He was still a little unsure about the sparklers though, as you can see by the bewildered look on his face. Yet, he kept coming back for more. All-in-all, we had a blast. Chores and all.