Fun on the Fourth

I think the Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. Right up there with Valentine's Day, Christmas and of course Easter. (I kind of like holidays!). But with the 4th of July being in the summer it just seems like a very relaxed and fun holiday to me. This 4th of July did not disappoint.
We started the day off with the annual Golf Cart Parade in the next town over, where my parents live. Mom and Dad put down a tarp the night before to ensure our spot and we met there early in the morning, coffee in hand, bug spray on, and strong arms ready to load up on all the candy and goodies that would be thrown at us. All the local politicians were out drumming up name recognition in preparation for the upcoming elections. Other than a few pieces of candy and one or two things, the kids gave everything they caught (BAGS FULL) to a missions trip that was heading for El Salvador.

After the parade we headed to my parents' house for an afternoon of swimming and cooking out. The kids had a blast in the pool. Caroline learned how to dive. She caught on really quickly. Most all grabbed a quick (or long) nap.
For our evening entertainment we went to the Atlanta Braves game. I had gotten the seats and wouldn't you know it the only seats available were on the VERY LAST ROW. All the way up at the top of the stadium. We were right behind home plate so our vantage point was good, just a little high up! (The kids are standing on a platform behind our top seats!)

Before the game started they unfurled this field-sized flag and 4 WWII Fighter planes flew over head. It was an incredible sight.

The game was fun. Caroline enjoyed cheering for Chipper Jones and Jack was devasted that Jeff Francouer had gone down to the minors to work on his batting.

After winning the game (YEAH!), the stadium put on a huge fireworks show. Complete with lots of patriotic music. And as I had hoped, one of the last songs they played was God Bless the USA.

Happy Birthday, America!