4th of July

We started the day by heading out to the local parade. This is an annual favorite of ours.

In the past we have been in the parade either for Grandma's work (they are sponsor's) or for the co-op pre-school.

This year we were strictly spectators and I must say we enjoyed sitting and relaxing while the floats went by.

The H5 were out of town this year and offered us their VIP spectator seats! Usually, to sit in the front of the parade you have to go down the night before or early in the morning and save spots with your stuff. It was so nice to just walk down to the reserved seats and not have to worry about finding a spot! Thanks so much H5 you were truly missed!

The kids scored with all the passers by! They filled their bags with candy, got flags, chalk, and other little toys. Who could resist such cuties!


I ♥ the bagpipes!
And the pirates!

Dao's family came over for dinner! The food was super yummy! Shrimp, Salmon, steak, chicken, grilled onions, corn on the cob, and of course hot dogs for the kids. Dao is totally king of the BBQ!

Grandpa is usually working (he is a Chef) so it was a special treat to have him there.


Goo-Goo Xuan (Goo-Goo means Auntie in Chinese) hung out and played Lego's with the kids.

Goo-Goo Linh tried out the trampoline for the first time.

And was the only one who could get Em to smile. She was super bummed that her friend Nana couldn't spend the night.
Goo-Goo B and Rob brought a massive amount of fireworks, including sparklers for the kids!

Em and Nana watching the fireworks.

Pay, Dev, Madi, and the Mommies stayed inside for most of the night. The big kids were outside until almost midnight and Pay just couldn't stay awake.

The kids had sweaty sticky bodies from the sunscreen, sweat, and treats that they had, so I made them take baths and showers at midnight, and then sent them to bed.

It was a really long day, but much fun was had by all!