Fourth of July Fun!

We had a great Independence day and loved being home. Most years are spent traveling to Carl's parents house which we love but it was really nice to stay in our own town. We did not want Evie to have to travel four weekends in a row so it was a good decision!

    We started the day off by walking to the park to survey the scene for the fireworks. People were busy setting up camp at 8 AM so we knew it was going to be packed.  I made some barbecue for lunch and Evie took an early nap since we thought we were heading to the Onello's for a cookout.

     We were trying to get ready when Maura called to let me know that Abby was sick. Poor little thing. So, it was time to implement Plan B so we headed to Franklin for there Fourth of July Festival. It was so fun to see everyone dressed in red, white and blue celebrating such a special holiday. Evie spotted some balloons and wanted to get her hands on them. A local chiropractor was handing them out which made for some terrific advertising. Next, was a visit to the petting zoo and Evie loved it. We fed the animals and had a chance to pet a llama, chickens, goats and sheep. That girl has no fear especially when it comes to animals.
It was pretty hot so we got a few lemonades to share which helped us all cool off. We enjoyed hanging out on the steps drinking our refreshing beverages watching all the people.

    We took Evie to the Spring Hill Recreation center to check out the new water park. Evie had a great time. She loves the water and kicks her little legs as hard as she can. It was so funny to see her reaction to everything. She thought the step around the perimeter was quite entertaining along with the water features along the edge of the pool. The slide captivated Evie and she went down multiple times with a HUGE smile on her face.She was yawing the whole time so we were hoping she'd take a little nap in the car on the way home. No such luck!

    Publix was open so we stopped to get a few things. Carl grilled delicious hamburgers. We had fresh corn, tomatoes from the roadside stand, and baked beans. It was so nice to sit outside to enjoy our dinner. Evie loves eating at her little table so I put her doll in the other chair. That was not good enough for Evie, she wanted to hold her doll while she ate her dinner. Ice cream cones were our dessert and Evie had her own cone for the first time. She thought that was pretty great.

     We walked over to the park and were amazed at the sheer number of people in the amphitheater. There were people in every nook and cranny. It was such an inspiring night as literally thousands of people said the Pledge and sang patriotic songs. It even made me a little teary. We were a little worried about taking Evie to see the fireworks since it was so late and loud. Not sure why we were worried because Evie had a fabulous time. She ran up and down the hill where we were sitting, clapped her hands with glee after each song, checked out some of the people nearby and walked around the amphitheater with us. She even heard her some beach music which took us back to our Carolina roots. Evie liked it too. We were so impressed that she did so well! She loved the fireworks and kept pointing at the sky as it lit up with a myriad of color.

   Evie went right to sleep around 9:30 and slept until 10:30 this morning. It was definitely a night that we will always remember!