At 5:14 am, I was woken from a peaceful sleep by Little Jerry, my nephew's rooster. The cock-a-doodle-dooing cut through the quiet morning air. Everyone except my four year old heard it, but most went back to sleep. Not easy to do though with the noise continuing for three hours until the last of us crawled from the tents. Fried chicken for breakfast never sounded so good.
Do you remember the chocolate lab puppy I unexpectedly won at the auction last fall and gave to my niece and nephews for Christmas? Meet Hershey! He's a beautiful, sweet and friendly pup (though no longer so little) who kept us company. He's quite the water dog and loves swimming in the creek as much as the kids do. 
As the kids ate breakfast, I started my annual viewing of 1776. My sister kept popping into the living room to watch her fave scenes with me and discuss the historical significance of the day. Meanwhile hubby and my brother-in-law moved tables and chairs down to the water for the party later. The kids got tired of waiting and hopped in a raft to go down the "rapids." Hershey didn't want to be left out of the fun! He swam alongside the raft. 
We spent the rest of the day creek side. The creek meanders and isn't too deep, but it's perfect for rafting and tubing and just having fun in the water. Water gun battles, too. Several families and other family members joined us for a BBQ. I got to see a friend and her two daughters who I hadn't seen in three years. It was great catching up with her. 
We ended the day with a big fireworks show. Last year I remember wearing sweatpants and cuddling under a blanket. This year the temperature stayed warm and only a sweatshirt was needed. We didn't get home until after midnight and rousing the kidlets wasn't easy. They wanted to sleep in the minivan! Hope you had a Happy Fourth of July! What was your fave moment yesterday?
