july 4th

we had a great july 4th!! this cul de sac neighborhood we are moving into has a huge party every 4th (and new year's eve). a couple neighbors at the end of the street work together, and they "host" the event. we were invited, so we went!

i think we arrived sometime in the 3 o'clock hour (after naptime). it was a bit intimidating, at first...walking into that street gathering and knowing no one. but actually i had met a few neighbors before, so those neighbors found me and helped make me comfortable. the kids had so much fun. they rode their bikes in the street (street was closed off for the party), there was a dunk tank and a slip and slide on someone's lawn. there was tons of food, music, volleyball, etc. what an amazing neighborhood, we're moving into!! it felt like a family reunion! everyone was incredibly nice. even the older teens were conversing with us and being helpful and attentive to the kids. around 9:30pm, they handed out sparklers and glow-in-the-dark sticks (that you can link together and turn into bracelets). the sparkler fun lasted for maybe half an hour as the guys prepped the fireworks! then at 10pm, everyone gathered on the lawns and there was a "show."

we watched the fireworks show with a "younger" family. they have two daughters: hannah (7) and jessica (10). the parents were incredibly fun and nice, and fairly new to the street themselves (about a year and a half). jim and brad (the dad) have the military in common, so they were getting along fabulously.

earlier in the day, i had left with james and jenna because i needed to do a couple things at home. jessica stayed behind, with jim. apparently, she met hannah a couple minutes after i left and they became instant friends! they were really cute together and i am excited that she has a little buddy to play with! i didn't see anyone james or jenna's age but i was told the ages range from 2-18. oh, when i returned to the party, jim had jessica's training wheels off her bike and was teaching her to ride. i loved that! i have wanted to do that for so long but have never been able to.

we had such a great time. i am so excited about living with these really fun, kind, generous people!! what a perfect place to live!! here are some pics from the day...