Independence Day.

Celebration wise, the Fourth of July isn't really that big of a day around these parts.  It's not that we're ungrateful for our freedom--we are!--it's just that we tend to celebrate the holiday a little bit earlier in July.

Or, in this case, on June 29.

We're at the mercy of the city of Auburn here, folks.

It actually worked out pretty perfectly.  Auburn celebrated on a Saturday, so nobody had to worry about getting up for work in the morning AND the weather was slightly overcast (a little rain in the early evening) and COOL!  I'll celebrate in June all day long if it means I don't have to sweat!!!!

We started the evening, per tradition, with dinner and playtime at the Boozers'.  This year, we ate all things fried:  okra, wings, nuggets...the guys had the fryer working hard.  Add fruit, veggies, chips, hot dogs, sliders, cookies, and cupcakes and we ended up with a pretty rockin' meal.

We headed into Auburn around 8:00 or so to get ready for the big show.  I think it's safe to say that Auburn's "Prelude to the Fourth" is probably the only time you'll ever find me in an Ingles parking lot. :)

The big boys:

And the big girls:

Emmy, with her first of fifteen dum dums:

And Thatch, celebrating his very first Independence Day:

Granti, DB, and Auntie met us for the show, too:

And here's a rare photo of the mamas:

 We hardly ever get pics of ourselves.  I'm thankful for this one!

Ingles made a fortune off my husband.  I've got to hand it to them, though:  it sure is convenient to be able to run inside and purchase whatever you need (in this case, sparklers).

We had such fun celebrating with our friends and family.  We were far enough away that while we had a good view of the show, the noise of the fireworks wasn't loud enough to bother anybody.  Emmy LOVED seeing all the colors in the sky. :)

Happy Fourth of July, friends!!!!  Hope yours was as much fun as ours!