talk about exhaustion. holidays are the worst...but actually the best.

and in this particular situation we were dealing with 100º + temperatures with no breeze...which is so so so random, considering we always have a 10+ mph wind going through our area. but yesterday...completely stagnant and sweltering. 
the very best part - kaye and sawyer were absolute troopers. neither gal complained...not once! which is super weird considering they are my daughters and when it comes to heat...i just don't do very well. ESPECIALLY at 31 weeks pregnant. lord help me.

but - between the parade and the snacks and the food and the slip 'n slide and the sparklers and the being around great friends...and almost burning down some giant trees - it was our very best 4th of july to date. 

and to put a bow on the whole day - i actually took pictures (and amy sent me a few too!).

first we hit the parade of a neighboring town...which is slightly larger than our town. meaning - it has over 200 people, so not hard to beat. and let me tell you - the very best thing about small-town parades is the fact that they are the perfect length to satiate the parade dreams of a 2 and 4 year old. the gals saw a rodeo queen, some tiny cars, a few floats...and snagged lots of taffy for their farmer. 



in case you're wondering...that is amy and her oldest boy on the local library float.
and one of our friends was even citizen of the year! they made her ride in the back of a truck all by herself...she was...thrilled.
following the parade we joined amy's family for a park in the picnic. as hot and melty as i was...it really is all about watching your kids have the very very best time. seeing them bond and create memories and just run around being crazy and climbing giant trees - i hope they reflect on these holidays and think - that was so fun. i can't wait for next year.

sawyer even managed to snag a little R & R. that girl...she's a master of relaxation. 
luckily (for my sake) between the parade / picnic and the BBQ / fireworks there was time for a little siesta and cool-down. we headed home, de-funked (because whoa sweaty), and took naps. glorious glorious naps. and before we knew it we were back in the car...headed to amy's house (or as the girls say - BRODY'S HOUSE!!!! he's a rock star in their book) for more festivities.
if memory serves you...you might recall my sweet sawyer was doing sparklers barefoot last year and stepped on a sparkler that had gone out but was still piping hot. she got a pretty bad burn that lasted for a few weeks...but this year with a mandatory shoe-wearing clause my girls escaped injury free. i can't say the same for amy's boys. fireworks are dangerous. 
the boys' cousins were in town from washington, so it's safe to say kaye was in some sort of heaven.

and you know who else was in heaven? these two. there's a special special farmer love these two have for one another. it kills amy and i every time we capture a sweet moment between the two of them.

you can clearly see they don't even know the kids are there...they care about lighting each other's sparklers.

they also care about special tractor fireworks that explode. like...full on malfunction, just like real equipment.


after a grand finale with some illegal fireworks that nearly burned down trees (who knew they were going to go that high?) we rounded out the night and headed home. but not before i sneakily enjoyed this treat. the star sprinkles really do make all the difference.

here's to having ourselves another nap today...and mowing the lawn, because...back to reality.