Proud to Be an American

I love, love, love the 4th of July. It's fairly laid back as far as holidays go, but it celebrates some of the best things in life- love of country, fireworks, and barbecue. And I can't help but embrace any holiday where a cookout is required fare! Being good, patriotic Americans, we hosted a cookout of our own. It wasn't anything huge or elaborate, just another family and our favorite bagger from Publix (long story), but it was fun.

The steadily dripping rain killed my plans for a cute outdoor setup. So instead of a cute tablescape under the party tent, we had grownups with cocktails in camp chairs staying dry while the kids had the run of the house and yard.

I don't think anyone minded the lack of a festive table too much. We managed to stuff our faces just fine without it! And it did nothing to diminish the awesomeness of the piece' de resistance- the cake...

It looked like a regular, kind of festive cake, but it had a hidden surprise. When we cut into it, we revealed........

An American flag!!!!!

That's right. Every slice was a flag. How freakin' cool is that?????

After cake, it was getting dark enough for sparklers. We decided to throw caution to the wind and give all the kids sparklers- even the twinados. Hell, if giving three-year-olds flaming sticks isn't good parenting, I don't know what is.

They loved them, and Hays only burned one finger a tiny bit, so I consider that a success. And the older kids managed their sparklers with nary an injury.

Well, there was a near-fatality involving Mason and a rubber monkey. But hey, if you give boys fire, somthing's going to get burned.

Once it got dark enough, it was time for Matt's awesome fireworks display. Okay, so it doesn't exactly rival the one at Lenox mall, but the kids sure were excited.

Everytime Matt would light one, Hays would dance the whole time it was sparking and burning, then Will would clap and scream "Yay!!!!!!!!" when it was done. It was hilarious every single time. As we were watching our kids cheer on the fireworks, I looked at my friend, LeAnne, and said, "This is so much fun!!" And it was. Seriously, it was perfect. It was so small-town Americana, and we talked about how wonderful it is to be able to raise our children like this. If days like this don't make you love America, nothing will. Hooray for tiny towns, good friends, happy, healthy children, fireworks, and flag cakes, and the men and women that keep our wonderful country safe!!