Fourth of July!

I had been more than a little excited for the Fourth of July for quite a while, and as a planner, I had it all planned out it my mind. My brother and his super fun family were going to meet us at my parents house where we were going to spend the weekend bar-b-queing and lounging by the pool under the summer sun. Didn't quite work out that way. My poor nephew got pneumonia, my sweet sister-in-law had a strained back, and the sun chose not to shine. I'll admit I was a bit bummed that Brandon and the super fun crew did not get to meet us by the pool and that the weather wasn't cooperating with my Fourth of July plans.

HOWEVER, while the day was not at all like I had planned, we had a wonderful day none the less. We, my parents and the Ferguson Four, decided to go to Deanna Rose Farm for some family fun since the pool was too cold. It was a great time: hayride, animal petting, fishing, pony riding, . . .. See evidence below.

Then there were the fireworks. In the past we have been hesitant to take our kids out to see the fireworks displays. By hesitant, I mean we didn't do it. In fact, we usually put them to bed at their normal bedtime and just watch the fireworks we can see from the window. When we lived at Jewell we had a fabulous view of the fireworks from our back porch, which Grant enjoyed, but otherwise neither of our kids had really watched the fireworks before. This year, Grant was determined that we needed to see fireworks. Travis and I were nervous but decided to take the kids to the city fireworks display. We had good reason to be nervous. The fireworks were not scheduled to start until 9:45, and our kids almost never stay up that late. Then there is the fact that Grant tends to be sensitive to loud noises. I am so thankful that we took the risk, because the four of us had a wonderful time! In fact, as we sat on our quilt at the Fountain Bluff Sports Complex eating popcorn and listening to the band while we waited for the fireworks to start, I found myself thinking, "When I was younger and dreamed of having a family, this is exactly what I hoped it would be like." I will cherish that evening of watching my kids run around in the grass playing with one another and giddy with excitement. Granted, they got squirrely before the fireworks ended and the ride home felt long, but that doesn't take away from the great night we had even a little. Once in a while, everything feels exactly as it should be. (Too bad I forgot my camera for that part . . . or maybe not, that way I can remember it exactly how I want to!)

Getting ready to go fishing at Deanna Rose Farm.

Grant loved fishing! It certainly helped that there are so many fish in that little pond that every time you dip your pole in the water you catch a fish.

Grandpa was Sophia's fishing partner, and she loved it! Don't mock her technique . . .

it was effective.

Sophia was very excited to go on a hayride at the farm. Here she is petting horses with Grandma after the hayride.

Grant enjoying the hayride.

Sophia loves to pet the animals.

One of the things that has been on Sophia's bucket list for quite some time has been to ride a horse or pony. It was right up there with having a pet unicorn. She was thrilled to see that the farm had ponies to ride. While the two minute ride did not quite give her her fill, she was thrilled none the less.