Red, White, and Blue!

Happy Independence Day!  

After spending the day with Matt's extended family, I can see why the 4th of July is Matt's favorite holiday!  We celebrated all day long with probably close to 50 of Matt's relatives.  The morning started out with a family flag ceremony, complete with the presenting of the colors (by some of Matt's cousins - all dressed in their scout uniforms!), the story of why the Star Spangled Banner was written, the singing of our national anthem, thoughts on how our nation's forefathers truly are heroes, and the reading of the Airman's Creed.

As soon as the flag ceremony was over, we headed down to the parade, where every car/float/horse threw candy into the crowds.  Kylee probably got at least 3 pounds of candy!  Oh dear... good thing she has a couple parents willing to share in her bounty so she doesn't have to eat that all on her own :-)

After the parade, it was time to eat... and eat we did!  There was a big beautiful spread of chicken, sandwich fixings, fruit and veggies, salads, baked beans, and of course dessert.  I didn't get a picture of all the delicious goodies (including chocolate covered strawberries, brownies, red/white/blue popcorn, red licorice, etc) but I did get a picture of this awesome flag cake.  I'll definitely be pinning a recipe for this one!

We spent the rest of the afternoon napping, shooting, swimming, lounging, talking, etc. before Matt, Kylee, and I headed off to Idaho Falls for the fireworks display.  The display was touted as one of the top 10 fireworks displays in the nation, and the biggest this side of the Mississippi. averaging over 9 shells per second during the 31-minute show.  This really was the best fireworks show I've ever seen.

Kylee pointing to the temple before the fireworks show starts.

Not only did I get to watch the show with Beki and Bryce (thanks for saving us a parking spot and a spot on the grass to watch the show!!!) but Kylee literally squealed with delight over and over and over again throughout the show.  She would yell "That one is my favorite" followed by the same line two seconds later.  She yelled so much I thought she might lose her voice.  It was just so much fun to see how excited she got over the display.

I am one blessed lady and am thankful for freedoms, fireworks, food, and family this holiday.