All the right ingredients...

...for a fantastic fourth of July weekend. It was so fun to experience those summery delights; being outdoors, enjoying the family, and temporarily leaving some of the daily responsibilities. Those responsibilities will be there waiting tomorrow, I'm sure of it.

I love summer time. I love the fourth of July holiday. This year we did all the special things which make it really fun and memorable for me. I'm kind of a traditional type of gal. I love to have certain things we remember holidays by and look forward to. Do you want to see some of it? Okay, for the yes people, here you go. For the no people, there's a little x at the top right of your screen that you can click on.

A third of July picnic started out our fun. Lots of great food and hours of laid back fun with friends. We enjoyed visiting Dave's mom's church and joining old friends. It was the church Dave attended for about 28 years and it was our first church to attend together as a married couple. Although God has lead us somewhere else to minister and grow at this time, we will always consider this church family. I love these friends! We all had our matching glow sticks. It was just like a jr. high girls club. :) Yeah, I'm the shorty on the end.

After our picnicking and outdoor gaming, we watched a great fire works display. I loved the little "ooohhh"s that Noe expressed after each flash. During any pauses between fireworks he would sign 'more' and say 'Ta-da'. He was asking for 'more ta-da's' because here at home he says 'ta-da' whenever we turn a light on (something I think he picked up from older brothers). It was so cute to watch his amusement.

Then there was the amazing air force Thunderbirds air show on the 4th. So much fun to watch! All of my boys were quite enthralled. I loved how the air show was choreographed to music. It was really incredible!

And then of course there was the crazy insane guys doing the crazy insane stunts on their motorcycles. I had one word for the crazy adorable three year old with the widest of eyes. "NO!" It was, however, super heartwarming to watch K enjoy the stunt show. He saw it. A simple thing? Maybe to some. For me it was enough to make my whole weekend great with nothing else added. We were able to pick up his glasses with the new lens prescription a couple of weeks ago and although the change wasn't immediate and drastic, we can now see some really positive vision improvements for him. Let me tell you, as a mommy this is a special thing to observe!

It wouldn't be fourth of July festivities with out the compulsory elephant ear. I hesitated to share this part of my joy. Between the indulgences of Krispy Kreme, Reese's peanut butter cups, and York peppermint patties, which I have so openly shared with you all in the last couple of weeks, I am afraid I will gain quite the unhealthy and self indulgent reputation. I admit, I may not be the healthiest eater you've ever met, but these wonderful morsels are not my daily norm either. :) And in the above picture I am handing a piece to Jay. See, it wasn't all for me and I wasn't the only one who thoroughly enjoyed... :) Check out little K getting some fried pleasure covered in Cinnamon and sugar. Of course Dave was kind enough to take this shot, declaring that it was 'for the blog'. :) Thanks honey. I'm now going on a veggies and water fast. :) We saw the beautiful sight of a sky full of hot air balloons before we left the festivities with 3 tired little guys (not to mention the exhaustion of the mommy and daddy). After arriving home I tucked my sleepy baby into his crib and returned outdoors to watch the delight of a daddy, 3, and 5 year old watching our own little fireworks display. All very small and legal I assure you. :) The squeals of delight were so fun to hear. K and Jay had fun too.

So there you have it - a peak into our family's weekend festivities. Dave and I talked last night about how grateful we are to those who have made it possible for us to have the freedoms we daily enjoy. I got a little bit emotional as we reflected on those men and women who give of themselves for the protection and freedom of this country. It is indeed something to celebrate, as well as fall to our knees about.

I am doing really good. I feel so much joy returning to my life. As I reflect over the challenges of the past couple of weeks I see so much evidence of God's sustaining grip. So many people who encouraged me through our time of loss implored me not to expect to feel joy filled and overly positive while in the midst of the pain. They assured me that when I looked back I would see the faithfulness of God and that His hand would be so evident in retrospect. They were right. I went through a time about a week ago where I was so frustrated with myself; the tears, the faltering faith. I'm ever so thankful for the people in my life who came along side me and simply said, it's okay to feel sad. Don't push yourself to be at place your just not.

Now my smile is returning. And it is real.