Grandpa in the Ring of Fire...plus...I Was a LOT Bigger Last Year!

Sparklers, dinosaur eggs, fountains, batons, poppers, screamers...I LOVE the fourth of July in New Mexico! Just muscle that ol' grill around the house onto the driveway, pull out some chairs, and invite all the neighbors. And the family because they'll bring food.
Flank steak with avocado lime salsa, grilled corn on the cob, watermelon, and then homemade ice cream and pies for dessert.
Yum.
I haven't had the desire to eat since then because nothing has sounded as good.
Bekah and Jacob loved the fireworks, they were fearless. (They were, really. Despite the concerned look on their faces...)Beau liked the little poppers but he got scared of the big ones. (He especially liked those red white and blue cupcakes grandma brought! Such a festive mess!)Some of the cousins (this is Emma) thought the noise was just too much. Some people spent the whole time looking like this and probably couldn't function the next day.The biggest kid there was my dad.
He was in heaven, proudly hoisting out his box of fireworks the second the sun decided to hide away. He was handing out poppers to all the kids like the pied piper...and they all loved it. When the rain (sprinkles) stopped and the wind died down, and when it really got dark, I swear I saw a twitch in that mustachey-smile of his as the realization hit that now we could really have some fun. So here's my dad with an awesome baton-like sparkler on steroids...just hum the "Ring of Fire" song to yourself as you look at this...It was a great night...I loved the sounds and the smells and the good company. I hope your fourth was just as good...And just for fun, here's me last year, not having my fourth of July baby like I had hoped, instead hanging out and planning to be induced the next day so that Beau could make his grand entrance on the 6th. Yep, a year ago today! That post coming up later...

**On a side note...about the last post, my child-thief...I had to take Bekah back the the post office, where in the depths of guilt and shame she remorsefully returned the postcards. And the lady led her to the back room for two hours of child labor to repay the debt. Just kidding. The lady tried not to laugh and told Bekah thank you.
A hard earned lesson, indeed. So don't be a felon and try to swipe something from the P.O.