The most wonderful time of the year!

I love the 4th of July! As a kid it was a time to get together with cousins and have a barbque, then head to the empty lot across from the AM/PM, or, later in my childhood, head to the country backroad that faced the lake where the city fireworks show was being put on (but we never actually went *to* the lake because they charged admission. we were cheap). As a teen, while working as a lifeguard, those of us schedualed to work on the 4th would stand at the top of the tallest waterslide to watch them.

Where I currently live there is a man-made lake just half a block away, and it is where our city's "Go 4th" celebration is held every year, July 2-4th. We didn't know about it when we bought this house, so it was a pleasant surprise when our first summer here rolled around (we moved in in November) and we realized we had a pretty sweet location! There's a flea market and booths of carnival food (fried twinkies, fried coke, kettle corn, roasted corn, hotdogs, smoothies, elephant ears, hot wings, etc), and giant inflatable slides and bounce houses, and a free petting zoo, and a parade on the 4th, and -of course- FIREWORKS! We go to the carnival every day that it's open. We have dinner there, and the kids get to pet the animals and buy tickets for the bounce houses and slides. And we always by at least one thing each from the flea market. It's good, cheap, family fun.

We're so loyal to attending this carnival, that we were even there the day before Errol was born! That was the year they had $5 pony rides, so Raia got to ride on a horse for the very first time. The next morning I was in the hospital delivering Errol, but she and George still made it to the fireworks. I watched it on the city's cable channel from my hospital room.

I love the heat, I love the crowds, I love the food, I love getting to know the other families sitting next to me and the kids at the parade route and watching the kids run out into the street to grab the candy the people on the floats throw out. I love walking to our church 4th of July breakfast in the morning before we make a mad dash to the parade route. I even love taking turns "holding down" our spot at the lake for the fireworks. We bring chips and licorice and DVDs and card games. We always chose a spot on the side of the lake that has a rather steep hill, so the kids get to roll down it while we wait. Sometimes they'll take naps. Errol slept completely through his very first fireworks show on his 1st birthday because he fell asleep an hour before.

I could go on, but needless to say, I *love* the 4th of July!

(this post written as I sit at my computer waiting for the sweat to dry after returning from a 4-hour stay at the carnival with the kids. We're hot and sweaty and dusty, have greasy faces and fingers, and are completely pooped!)