4th of July

Jinna Rai's first Independence Day as an American citizen!

As always, my parents threw an awesome family bash for 30+ of us, and as always, my pictures of it are completely sub-par.  (Someday I'm either going to learn how to take good pictures, or get a phone that is smart enough to do it for me.)

 Special guests at this party included the Wigs, to whom we had to say goodbye as they head back to NY soon, and Lisa, Kylan, and Karalee, visiting from Colorado!

After the very tasty food...

The kids heard dessert was being served

....we all headed out for some fireworks, courtesy of Dan:

Don't try this at home...

.... Or this.

 Upon reflection that the fireworks just might be even more enjoyable in the dark, we went back inside and waited until.... well, about 30 minutes.  Then we went back out and did more fireworks over the golf course, still in the daylight.

 The kids had fun trying to catch the "parachute" ones...

 .... fun until they kept getting trampled by the rest of the herd.

Then we went inside and waited even MORE long minutes until Dan's Big Fireworks Show Finale, truly in the dark this time.  Great cheers rang through the countryside, and then all the tired kids got piled into cars and driven home where they were all grumpy for July 5th.*

Happy Birthday, America!  And thanks, Mom and Dad, for a terrific party!

*Except Colsen, Branson, and Kai, who got to go to Cousins Camp and have TONS OF FUN.