Happy 4th of July!

Hope you all had a happy and injury-free 4th! Here were our PLANS for our 4th of July weekend:

• Drive home Thursday afternoon to stay with Grandma and Grandpa DuBois' for the weekend



• Get up Friday morning to go to the waterfront in Tacoma to see the Tallships (they have a much larger display than Ilwaco!)



• BBQ @ Grandma and Grandpa Whitemarsh's



• Fireworks @ Uncle Bryan and Aunt Shannon's with ALL the rest of the Whitemarsh clan for the first time in I don't know how many years. ALL the brothers, ALL the daughters-in-law, ALL the grandkids



• Saturday afternoon 1's 9th birthday party @ Grandma and Grandpa DuBois' with outdoor games, the kiddie pool, patriotic decorations (that's what she asked for - pretty easy this time of year!) a cake with sparklers instead of candles - the works!



• And then driving home sometime later that night or the next day and feeling happily exhausted for a couple days thereafter!

This is what we actually DID:

• We stayed home and had to cancel EVERYTHING on the above list cuz Mom, Dad, and 4 all had a ridiculously nasty and long-lasting stomach bug and literally could not go more than about 10 feet from the toilet for several days. NICE.

Timing is everything. Well, we've spent the last couple of days feeling exhausted, but not so happily! Whatever! David (who was feeling a little better by the 4th) bought some fireworks for the girls so that they wouldn't completely miss out on everything that day. Pretty pitiful fireworks, but better than nothing! They seemed to enjoy them. I was able to pull myself to an upright position and take a few pix before needing to go lay back down. It really wasn't very fun! :( Here are some fun shots for you to enjoy. Later!

David and 3 check out the loot. This is what $20 gets you at Fred Meyer. Woo Hoo.1 shows off her sparkler skills.
2 looking like her usual Independence Day self. She HATES fireworks. She knew what we were doing and I was shocked that she decided to stay outside. She got in the truck with the other girls and I thought "hey! Maybe this year will be different!" Not a chance. The first time something made noise she covered her ears, burst into tears, and made David come get her out of the truck so that she could run into the house and watch from the windows. She did get a little braver and come to the front door towards the end, though!
1 and 3 from their vantage point - out of the way in the back of daddy's truck. 4 went inside with 2. She was fine until her sister started crying and then she decided that maybe there was something to be scared of. Thanks big sis! 1 and 3 trying to make the smoke go away. Good luck, girls!
LOOK! She came OUT! And she's HOLDING something!!!! It's a MIRACLE! ;o)


And, of course, if big sis does it then it must now be ok. Ahhhh....