Baby, You're A FiReWoRk!!

Dachshund puppy: $100.00. Camp chair: $20.00. Old Navy character tee: $10.00. Bottled water: $1.00. Watching my man and his dog watch the fireworks: Priceless. A beautiful end to a beautiful day. But now let's go back and start at the very beginning. A very good place to start...
July 4th. My favorite holiday. A day we celebrate our independence. And our freedom. God Bless, America. My home sweet home. It's also a day to celebrate other things that I love, and this year was the best ever. After missing the festivities for two years on her mission, Whitney was back with the family, and we pulled out all the stops for our PaRtY iN tHe USA!You've heard the phrase, "Let them eat cake!" Well, cake we made, and cake we ate. We came, we saw, we conquered.
Decorations provided by Target. Atmosphere provided by approximately 35-plus guests. Some were family, some were friends, some were out-of-town visitors from BYU-I. All were welcome. All were well fed and well entertained.
Patriotic feet are always a 'must' at our celebration and this year was no exception. EXCEPT Cassidy's RED flip flops were back in the 'Burg. Whitney's solution? "Hey, Soul Sister, no worries. Red + Blue = Purple, so no worries." 'Nuf said.
No July 4th celebration is complete without a visit to SNO SHACK. Everyone chose their favorite flavor. Whitney = Red raspberry and peach. Eli = Purple Cow. Cassidy = Hawaiian Spike. Me = Coconut and Cream with lime. Phillip = Grape. Everyone had extra cream and extra goodness. Di.Vine.
My sister-in-law brought these suckers to share. Apparently they are SPECIAL suckers. They are only for non-married people. Can you say, "Foot in the mouth?" Since I don't fit the category, I can't tell you how they tasted but I can tell you that we didn't let her live that down for the rest of the evening.
We've always had people identify their cups by writing their names on aforementioned cup with a sharpie. In our family it's a secret game to see who can come up with the most original identity. Although I came as Miss America, Whitney gets the prize this year for Statue of Liberty. Who would YOU be?
In the past we would sport matching OLD NAVY tees as a family but this year we went a different route. What's more American than wearing your favorite groups/characters on your chest. Whitney became the Beach Boys, Cassidy was Barbie, Eli was Superman, I was Snoopy, and Phillip was Mickey Mouse. Does it get any better than this? I submit that it does not.
Last year while Whitney was serving in Houston, Griffin joined our family. Five became six and our lives wouldn't be complete without him. His first meeting with Whitney was a little awkward, but now they have become great buddies and pals. I love this picture because I love everyone in it! Her wish to have a puppy finally came true!

My wish to have a perfect 4th of July also came true. Perfect in every way. EXCEPT the fact that our city fireworks display DID NOT feature the vocal stylings of Miss Katy Perry and her epic holiday classic "FIREWORK". So, in the spirit of all things musically-American, I have posted it here for your enjoyment. "BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"