Happy Fourth of July!

The Fourth of July is one of my very favorite holidays. There's just something about this country, you guys!! Hearing the national anthem warms my heart, makes me proud, and makes me want a good ol' American cheeseburger. (I'm only partially kidding about that. Greasy burgers for the win!)

But seriously. Jord and I have been lucky enough to travel and live in places all over the world, and nothing...NOTHING... beats America. We are so fortunate to live here. I mean, stores are open 24/7, almost every restaurant has a drive-through, Wal-Mart has everything your heart could desire, clean (and free!) public restrooms can be found all around ....the things that you take for granted when you're in a foreign country just pile up. Not to mention the freedoms that we enjoy, and the peaceful place where we get to raise our kids. America is AMAZING!

And now for the recap of this year's Fourth! (Gird your loins. This one's going to be stuffed full of photos, people.) We woke up suuuuuuper early (thank you, children), hopped in the car in our PJ's, and headed to Krispy Kreme. Because is there anything more American than a pile of donuts to start off your day?

^^"I want dat one, and dat one, and dat one..."

^^The middle one was filled with BROWNIE BATTER. I know. amazing.^^

^^story of their life.^^

The day could not have been more perfect outside, so we drove straight from getting donuts to Jacobsen Park. Lexington has some AMAZING parks... but this one might be my favorite ever. The wooden playground, the lake with paddle boats, the cute little bridges on the water... just all of it. I love it. And so do the babies!

They ran around and played their hearts out... PJ's and all.

^^peek-a-boo!^^

^^"Dis one is a biiiig slide, Momma!"

After the park, we ran home and put the boys down for naps. Because we all know how nap-less children can be... yowza. Nothing like a sleep-deprived toddler to crash a firework party! Ka-chow!

Luckily, the city parade was later in the day. So we woke up and spiffed up, and headed downtown for the festivities! The parade ended up being, well, mediocre at best. Like, way to many political campaigns marching and well, campaigning... and not nearly enough floats and candy. But the boys didn't care one bit. They had stars in their eyes the entire time--they were in absolute heaven. Camden rocked out to the marching bands that passed by, and Boston basically wanted to marry Jr. Miss Lexington. "Mom!" he said, "Dat girl a princess??"

He wasn't such a huge fan of Ronald McDonald, though. "Dat's not a bad guy? McDonald guy no come get me?" ...so hilarious. But with that creepy white face and yellow jumpsuit...I mean, can you blame him? He gives me the willies too, Bost.

^^Maybe they were...singing? I don't know. Kids.^^

^^family selfie!^^

^^Cam wasn't so sure about the bagpipes. But isn't he the cutest ever?^^

The highlight of Boston's year was when the Lexington Legend's Baseball mascot, "Big L," came over and shook his hand. He was beaming. "Dat guy wif a big mustache yuuuuuuvs baseball. Just like me, mom!"

^^I love these guys. LIKE, SO MUCH.^^

After the parade was over, I bribed Boston (and Jord) to take a million photos by an awesome brick wall. I basically saw this old building and freaked out. I mean, exposed brick! You can't just pass up a thing like that without snapping at least a hundred pictures.

(Jord would strongly disagree.)

In the evening, we hosted a low-key barbeque with a couple of guys from Jordan's MBA program (and their cute families!). We had a blast. And ate a ton of food. Because holidays! Isn't food the most important part? (the answer is YES.) Then we played some baseball, fed the ducks, and had a crazy-explosive firework show for the kiddos.

Just kidding. The fireworks we bought were pretty weak-sauce. But hey! The kids thought they were awesome, and that's all that matters in life. Really though. Aren't holidays one million times better with children?? Everything is so magical! It's kind of the greatest.

^^Yeah, that was about as crazy as it got in the firework department. We live on the edge!!^^

^^Boston wasn't so sure about the fireworks.^^

Happy happy Fourth of July, friends!! I hope yours was amazing.
We are so blessed to live in this great country. God Bless America!

(and if you made it through this whole post, you deserve a sticker. Or a back-slap. Or a donut?)