4th of July 2014

What a wonderful day we had getting to celebrate our country's Independence! I told Mallory one time where all we were going on the 4th and she kept repeating it and kept asking me when it was time to go! My Aunt Janice got Mallory this adorable outfit for her birthday and I couldn't wait until the 4th of July so she could wear it.

And I love to look at year's past! You will see a lot of that in the blog. It's just fun to see how my baby has grown and how her friends and cousins have grown too. I love seeing her in her red, white and blue each year!

Friday morning, we relaxed and enjoyed just being at home. Around noon, our favorite Estes family came over for a bit. Mallory loves Uncie, Auntie, Caleb and Cade so much so she was on Cloud 9 when Brian told her they were stopping by.

Mallory always wants to see Auntie when we FaceTime with them! And I love the picture of Brian, the boys and Mallory. She is just one of the boys when they are around.

Caleb and Cade are so sweet with Mallory and she always wants their attention. I was so glad a I got a good picture of the three of them.

And yes, here is another flashback. The top photo was taken at Mallory's first 4th of July. Look at how they've grown in 3 years! Sigh.

After the Estes's visit, we headed to my Aunt Janice's house to spend time with my family there. Mallory knew Nana and Papa would be there so she couldn't wait to get there. We sat and visited most of the time and it was great. I love just relaxing and chatting it up with all my family. Mallory really warmed up to Aunt Sherry this time and had fun playing with her. I love anytime my grandmother is up this way so it was good getting to see her.

Usually there is a full-on meltdown whenever we have to leave Nana and Papa but she knew that the next stop was Liam's house so she had that to look forward to!

We finished the evening at The Lofland's home with them, The Calhouns and Justin and Katie Ryan Ballard. Melody and baby Brooke relaxed at home. Mallory knew Liam, Liesl, Ella, Layla and Katie Ryan were all going to be there so the anticipation to get there was killing her! 

Will and Lyndsey's home, at the moment, is on top of a hill in our town and really has the perfect view of the lake. It was a great place to be for the 4th because you could see all of the fireworks around.

So glad we got a picture of these sweet friends. Baby Brooke was at home and baby Lydia will join us next year too! So exciting!

I sent Joy, Melody and Lyndsey the top picture because I look at it every 4th of July and smile and remember all of these kiddo's first 4th! So we decided we were going to get a picture of the four of them again this year to compare. I'm so glad that we did and I love seeing how much they've grown! I love these kids and their momma's so much! I love the friendships all around!

Will smoked a brisket on his new smoker he got for his birthday and it was delicious. I made the dessert aka brought cupcakes and cookies from the store :) I think the cupcakes and cookies were a hit though! The kids loved all the room to play outside. They drove Liam's truck and jumped on the trampoline and in the bounce house.

When the sun set, I gave the kids the neon bracelets and sticks that light up at night and we moved to where we could watch fireworks. We could see the Harry Myers fireworks pretty well so it was really nice!

Then, it was sparkler time! I love her face as she is holding the sparkler!

When we got home, we all crashed. We were worn out from all of the FUN! We are grateful for the reason of this holiday! We are grateful for the family and friends we get to celebrate with! And I was grateful that we all slept in until 9:00 am the next day!