Fantastic 4th

We had such a fun family night for the 4th of July! After dinner, Jason and I decided to take the kids out to Research Park for a round of disc golf (something we haven't done in a long time). It was a gorgeous evening. There was just enough breeze to keep us cool, but not enough to hurt our game. And since Research Park is next door to the George Bush Library (our local July 4th Celebration headquarters), we also got to enjoy a free concert of several cover bands while we played.

The kids did great. Norah played disc golf with us for most of the round. Eli enjoyed the ride. He was so quiet for our whole round (at least an hour and a half) that several times I was sure he must have fallen asleep, but he was wide awake, taking it all in with a big grin on his face.

After getting our disc golf fix, we headed over the field that faces George Bush Library and staked out our spot for the fireworks show. We spread out a blanket and got comfy for the hour wait before the show. Thankfully, the library was still providing a free concert, and we packed a few things to help pass the time.

Norah enjoyed her mini kite thoroughly. She was so proud of herself, she kept shouting to anyone within earshot, "Look! I'm flying my kite!"




Eli rolled around, crawled, and smiled a lot. (Note: he's up to a whopping four teeth now, and he takes full advantage of each of them!)

We tried to get a family photo, but there wasn't anyone close by to ask, so we settled for a couple of partials.





We had debated all day about whether or not to take Eli to see the fireworks. He usually melts down at about 7:45pm, and the only thing that calms him is to put him in his bed. (That boy knows his bedtime and he lives by it!) Since the fireworks weren't scheduled to begin until 9:45pm, and they would be loud, I was really afraid he would just cry through them. Boy, was I ever wrong. He was completely enthralled. (And this was one of my favorite pictures!)

Norah's commentary during the fireworks was very entertaining, to say the least. As each colorful burst revealed itself, she'd shout, "Oooo! That was a pretty one!", "Ohh! Tha's a big one!", or my personal favorite description, "Ooooh! That was a messy one!"