It's the 4th

Happy Fourth of July!  My second favorite holiday!  It's full of fond memories of camping, family, fireworks, homemade ice cream...  Here is our little firecracker in the dress I forgot to put on her Sunday morning:

 It amazes me how much I love her!

We'd already started getting ready for bed when Dad reminded me about doing sparklers with the kids.  Yeah, I've been off today.  I actually got Rebekah out of bed so she could go outside & burn her hand.  Of course we stayed on the gravel since it's been so dry. 

Happy 4th!

4th of July: Kids, Reunion, Anniversary, and Sparklers!

A few days before, David & Elizabeth worked on a little Independence Day book.

We used a potato to stamp some stars. This is Elizabeth's star paining:

The day started off cooking! Getting ready for the annual family reunion. Just about right; I forgot to take pictures at the reunion. It was a small turn out this year, but we had a good time. I especially noticed Momma's absence after lunch as the menfolk ended up outside visiting and the womenfolk ended up around the table inside. That's how it always seems to end up.

For the first time that I can remember, Dad showed up with flowers for me to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary! And he got my favorite color, purple. Very sweet. : ) Friday night we were able to ditch the kids at Grana's and went out to dinner, just the two of us. It was nice. So on our actual anniversary, I cooked dinner for us at home. This scrum-dil-ee-umptious dish is a Pioneer Woman recipe: Summer Stir Fry. Fabulous. You should try it. Garlic, shrimp, zuccini, red onion, anaheim pepper, corn off the cob, served with brown rice. Mmmmm...

After cleaning up from dinner (the kids ate peanut butter sandwiches, boy they missed out), we made ice cream. Dad & Uncle Phillip headed down to the pond to fish. Curt & Suzanne showed up. As it started getting dark, we headed out & started with some poppers. Dad had a small light show of assorted fountains & Roman candles & bottle rockets, then we broke out the sparklers.

Dad & Uncle Phillip had a little fun with big handfuls of sparklers. I don't recommend this.

Mom's "special" sparklers:

Elizabeth was scared of the fireworks and was still nervous about the sparklers until she saw Mom & Dad sparkling too and finally gave it a try. Then she was hooked.

We lit 'em as fast as we could to keep up! We also were able to see the end of the fireworks show in town from our back porch! Rebekah slept through all the fireworks.

Stars & Stripes

TTT + MTM + 4th

The 4th of July was a fun day indeed! David & Elizabeth enjoyed their time with Grana & Papa and we made it back to Uncle Bubba's house that evening for fireworks. David once again loved the sparklers. I wish I could remember what he was calling them. He & the other 4 year old that was there were running around in circles singing, "I'm a fire magician!"

Last night before bed, we read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. David gets tickled every time by the name Mrs. McGillicuddy. I suppose that's where he picked up the Mrs... and all day long he was calling me "Mrs. Mama"!

Read more Tiny Talk Tuesday at Not Before 7!

Here we are again at the end of a long, but fun 4th of July. Like our shirts? : ) My nephew, Jesse, asked if I made him wear the shirt! Of course, he said no! It was a great 10th Anniversary... Thanks to Aunt Wee & Uncle Bubba for the picture!



Now for a little Muffin Tin Madness...

Elizabeth's most recent muffin tin meal consisted of apples, baby carrots, ABC pasta, a few bites of fruit bar, peanut butter crackers and sliced string cheese.

David's not so much into the muffin tin meal, so we did Muffin Tin Math! He had a hard time getting the right number of Cheerios into the higher number holes... because he kept eating them! So I guess it was a muffin tin meal after all! : )


Don't forget the giveaway for CPR Teddy Jr. ends on Friday! Don't miss your chance to enter the giveaway! This bear could save your child's life!

In Dependence

No, I didn't spell it wrong.

While the rest of America is celebrating Independence Day today, we're taking a day off to celebrate our dependence!

We're skipping my annual family reunion (which I haven't done very often), dropping the kiddos off with Grana & Papa, and spending some time together. Just Mom & Dad. Celebrating our 10th Anniversary today.

Yes, we always have fireworks for our anniversary! We'll rejoin the family tonight for some pyrotechnic fun.




In the mean time... yesterday, we celebrated Independence Eve.

David & Mom did a nifty fireworks painting & glitter project I saw at Scrumdilly-Do, via The Crafty Crow.






Then Dad brought home some "kiddie" fireworks - small fountains, little on-the-ground things, and of course, SPARKLERS!!

This reminds me... just in case you were wondering. Our wedding colors were not red, white & blue. But we did run through a cloud of smoke & sparklers instead of birdseed, rice or bubbles.

Elizabeth was a little startled by the noisier fireworks.

4th of July Preparation

With all the recalls we've had over the last year of things made in China, I wonder how safe it is to trust them to make this stuff for us?!?! If you've purchased fireworks already, make sure to check for recalls! Click on the recall headlines to see the official recall notice with pictures. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2008
Release #08-322
Fireworks Over America Recalls Fireworks Due to Shock Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Oh Chute Parachute with Streamer Fireworks
Units: About 84,250
Distributor: Fireworks Over America, of Springfield, Mo.
Hazard: The parachutes can become entangled in overhead power lines causing a shock hazard to users and bystanders.
Incidents/Injuries: Fireworks Over America has received one report of entanglement, in which a consumer's hand was burned and shocked.
Description: The recalled Oh Chute Parachute with streamers is a firework item with a light blue cylinder with white clouds. The model name is printed in triplicate on the front of the tube and FOA #2085 is on the lower back of the tube. This item is sold separately or in a box of four.
Sold by: Various fireworks stores nationwide from April 2007 through June 2008 for about $2.50 each and $8 a box.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to either the place of purchase or Fireworks Over America for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Fireworks Over America at (800) 345-3957 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m, CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.fireworksoveramerica.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2008
Release #08-325
Black Cat Fireworks Recalls Fireworks Due to Injury Hazard
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Screech and Scream Fountain Fireworks
Units: About 20,000
Distributor: Black Cat Fireworks, of Prairie Village, Kan.
Importer: Shiu Fung Fireworks, of China
Hazard: The firework can produce a loud bang and unexpectedly scatter debris, posing an injury hazard to the user and bystanders.
Incidents/Injuries: No injuries have been reported.
Description: The recalled Screech and Scream Fountain is a firework item with a yellow and red cylinder with red balls. The model name is printed on the front of the tube.
Sold at: Various fireworks stores nationwide from October 2006 through June 2008 for about $7.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to either the place of purchase or Black Cat Fireworks for a full refund.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, call Black Cat Fireworks collect at (913) 649-0537 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.blackcatfireworks.com

4th Photos!

Finally got the 4th of July photos working! Note the updated link to fireworks photos at bottom of this post. Enjoy!

Here's a LINK to Grandpa's fireworks videos & some more cute pictures of David with sparkers!

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July (yesterday)!

I was uploading my photos when my computer shut down, so you'll have to wait another day for the big slideshow, but I'll go ahead & tell you about our big day.

It was Mom & Dad's 9th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's been 9 years. USVI... we'll see you next year for the big one!!! YEAH!

Our annual 4th Family Reunion was held at Uncle Bubba's new house this year. Grandpa posted some photos here. About mid-afternoon, we came home for a nap before the party continued.

Back at Uncle Bubba's house, we had hot dogs & played some games before it got dark enough to start some fireworks. Dad went a little crazy at the firework warehouse, but David really enjoyed them. He loved holding the sparklers (the same kind we had at our wedding), and kept saying, "More sparklers, Dad.... I need more sparklers." Pictures tomorrow!