Happy 4th of July!!!

Our blue-eyed lil' firecrackers!

4th of July Weekend with Friends

We went with our good friends, the Lyness Family, on a little 4th of July get-a-way. The Tan-Tar-A resort at Osage Beach is the Lyness' secret little vacation spot. And, well, they let us in on their secret! Yay! It was so much fun. Our kids all are little best buds, and it's so fun (and CRaZy) when we're all together. We relaxed by the pool, played in the arcade (yes, I beat Jaxon at air hockey ~ barely ~ and I was trying my hardest!), and watched the fireworks from our balcony. I'm so thankful we have good friends who share the many of the same values, love for the Lord, love for fireworks (ha!), and who share in the same busy, fun, difficult, wonderful, craziness of this thing called life.

Aren't we all cute in our red-white-and-blue!!!???!!!

4th of July Sparkle!

Mom's birthday was 4th of July. Last year Dad hosted a birthday "memory" celebration and invited all of his family, her family, and a few friends. This year he and Janice (his new wife) wanted to continue the celebration. Here are some pics. We had some really good smoked meat, yummy sides, a delicious cake made by Janice, and some awesome firecrackers! What a neat day. Sure do miss her and sooooooo wish she were still here.
I LOVE it that her birthday was the 4th. It makes for a cool way to remember her and all the birthday parties in the past. She LOVED the fireworks and the family all being together. I have many great memories of 4th of July's at the ranch... 4th of July's at the firecracker stand... and most recently of having our own little 4th of July parties on the hill by their house.
She was so much fun. The festive word that comes to mind when I think of her is SPARKLE!!! :-)