Independence Day 2010

After Mass on Independence Day, we made our way to the grandparents' home for an afternoon of casual play time.

The children played ball.

John did imaginative play with sticks.

Tree climbing occurred.

After a wonderful meal put on by my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law Holly obliged us with a photo session of the cousins. She saves us so much money in professional photography by lending her amazing skills and high quality camera! The group sessions were all ruined, though, by a certain toddler in a pink striped dress. Therefore, Holly did individual sessions with my children and small group sessions with the older kids.

Olivia and John

John with four of his six cousins

Uncle Brian brought fireworks for us to set off in the street. I haven't seen personally purchased fireworks since I was a little girl, I don't think, and I had no idea what big and fancy ones can be obtained nowadays! The above is one that Brian brought us and they went very high in the sky! But, as I suspected, my children were still a bit young for fireworks, even the small kind in the cul-de-sac: We watched from inside the van, the doors closed to muffle the noise, Mary in my arms, John in Daddy's arms, and still Mary cried and John was jumpy and nervous. "What are my cousins doing?" he asked in awe. "They are making fire!"