Red White & Blue

Last weekend, we decided to host a 4th of July party. We had so much fun!!!

Accompanied by old friends, some new friends, and family, it was really nice to spend time with everyone we love. (We missed our friends and family who couldn't be here!)

The weather ended up being perfect. It rained earlier in the day (a lot!) and I was getting worried. But sure enough, the sky cleared, the temperatures dropped, and there was a nice cool breeze.

Since we had 5 little ones running around, I made sure to keep those kiddos entertained. You know what they say...happy kid=happy mother. Well, I know the saying doesn't exactly go like that but you get my drift. We had a sand table, a water table, balls, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and plenty of other toys. The kids had an absolute blast. Ethan didn't bother me once. :)

There was so much yummy food to choose from. There were two dessert dishes though that require special attention. My friend Stephanie baked 2 amazing desserts to share. Since her baking skills are quite stellar, she knew I would request a special treat...or two. :) Since she knows I have a weakness for anything peanut butter and chocolate, she whipped up some pretty amazing peanut butter brownies which had nutter butters, and reese's pieces in them. In addition she made some pretty amazing cookies. I will not mention how many I ate...or how many pounds I gained the next morning. :) Oh yeah, and they make a pretty good morning treat (when you come downstairs looking for breakfast) too. I wish I had taken a picture of them...yeah, I know I say that a lot.

One of my contributions to the party was a new Pinterest recipe. "Buzzed Cherry Bombs". They were delicious, strong, and harder to make then they appeared. What makes them buzzed? You soak them in vanilla vodka overnight.  They were a huge hit, and I would definitely make them again.

 

 

In my best attempts to get a decent 4th of July shot of Ethan before he got all sweaty and dirty...this is what I got. Not too shabby.

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to get pictures of the kids...they had so much fun. I figured the kids wouldn't mind being photographed since most adults don't. :)

 

 

 

 

 

The night ended with some pretty great fireworks that all of our surrounding neighbors were setting off.  Ethan got his first dose of fireworks, and he really loved them. Little man didn't get to bed until 10:30pm and was up at normal time...go figure. But, it was all worth it...what a great day!