land that i love

We had a really nice 4th of July this year. Don't you just love it when the actual 4th falls on a weekday so you still have the weekend to celebrate as a bonus?
We spent the weekend with lots of family - half of it in Crestline, hometown to both of us (we watched the parade and the fireworks show - smothered in Crestline charm) and the other half helping Ashly and Mikey move into their new home. Packed weekend, but we loved it.
Here are a few highlights of Crestline:

Then on Monday, July 4th we headed to my sweet grandparents' house, where it's perfectly fine to let little kids hold flaming fireworks in their hands. Growing up a mountain kid myself, this was NEVER allowed, so it's always been a fun tradition to HAVE to get ourselves down to Grandma and Grandpa's house and swim all day long in the greatest pool in the world, then drag our tired butts out on the front lawn, put the ladder in the street, and let them rip. My kids were excited all week to "blow stuff up" and "explode things" or as Jack would say, "make stuff catch the fire." That they did, along with cousins and loved ones. We've done it this way almost every single Independence Day of my life, and I love it.

Brothers - James and Jeremiah (almost 14, and 12) - my nephews

my grandma, my grandpa, Tyler in the pool with Alyssa, baby DJ sleepin' on his momma, and up in the top corner, one of my sister's twin boys - don't ask ME which one, I'm always confused!

 

Andrea and her babies on the lawn, my sister's kiddos with sparklers, and Alyssa down below with sparkler, random cousins, and my charming Grandpa and me.