Our 4th of July Weekend

Happy Fourth of July from the dancing Barrett Sisters!

We had a fun Fourth of July weekend, with many cute pictures to share. I'll try to get this out there quickly, since I have other, more momentous things to report in an upcoming blog post...

Anyway, there was a lot going on over the holiday weekend, mostly involving friends & family. We started off the weekend with a big Family Movie Night, in which we shared a timeless classic with our kids for the first time:

Yep, Mary Poppins. I confess: I had never seen it beginning to end, either! I'm really glad I did, though. Although the story is undeniably kooky & insubstantial, it's one of the few films I have seen that really does "whimsy" well, without the whimsy going overboard and becoming annoying. Plus, the songs are just amazing and the actors are all very talented & charming. Lots of fun.

Speaking of fun, the next day we headed over to the local clubhouse for the Fourth of July Celebration! The clubhouse does lots of family-centric activities like this, with local vendors, face-painting, rides & games. Recently, they've contracted with a different entertainment company, so instead of the usual pony rides & petting zoos, we got slightly more adrenaline-laced fare...

Like the zero-G harnesses. I wasn't able to ride it myself, but Lorelai simply had to try it out:

Look at that air!

There was also a massive "bubble pit," where the kids could roll around & cover themselves in bubbles. Fun times were had (and by "fun," I mean "messy").

The last new addition was this nifty gadget:

Hooray! A human hamster wheel!

While Lorelai and Celeste were terribly excited to try it out...

...the actual results were a little clumsy. The attendant very gently rolled the ball along the grass, but both girls couldn't keep their feet inside; they ended up rolling head over feet, over and over. They emerged from the ball a little underwhelmed (as I had to fight to control my snickering). Afterwards, Mama had to give the hamster ball a shot...and LOVED it! I hope to try that out again next time it comes around.


The actual 4th of July was eventful, too...we began our busy day with a family trip to the local jumping-castle play area, called Pump It Up:

I didn't get very many pictures because my family kept running away from me--to try their luck at the next attraction! We all had a great time...even Aurora, who got her first taste of the giant inflatable slide with Daddy...

After a short swimming trip with Lorelai & Celeste in the afternoon, we invited a few friends over for dinner, games, and the "main attraction":

...FIREWORKS! Most years, they've been illegal in AZ, but I was finally able to buy some this year, and (county prohibition notwithstanding), I WOULD NOT BE DENIED (to be fair, it had rained earlier in the afternoon, so the ground was safe).

The kids probably enjoyed the sparklers the best:

While Aurora, sad to say, didn't enjoy much of it at all...

Err...maybe she'll have a better time next year?!? (I sure hope so; I still have lots of fireworks left!)

By then it was late and the kiddos were all pooped...but a great time had been had by all! Hopefully our next Fourth of July celebration will also be this enjoyable.