Fourth of July

Oh the benefits of being friends with the Mayor Pro-Temp.  Thank you wonderful Shaw family, for including us in your fourth of July family get-together. 

Every year our city hosts their fireworks show at the local high school, and for the second year in a row, we have been invited by one of the city's chief citizens.  Not only, might I add, did we get in for free, but we even got VIP passes to enjoy a super tasty brisket dinner backstage.  Here Mac is chewing on it:

 Here everyone is standing to catch the massive bomber plane that flew low over the field.  Pretty neat.  Mac growled at it a lot.

 The show included lots of music and Tim and other big-deal-people getting up and saying how wonderful our city is.  Of course our eyes were glued to the stage with our friends on it, but otherwise, we played Yahtzee and Catch Phrase and snacked on a lot of junk food.

Then the fireworks began.  I am so glad I caught Mac's face in this picture.  He has always loved fireworks, but they are usually fairly far away.  Apparently being right underneath them as they explode is another story.

 Mac raced back to the wagon and attempted to pull it away, but we caught up with him and convinced him to watch the fireworks from the safety of that sturdy little wagon.  (Thanks mom!)

 But eventually Daddoo (as Mac now calls him) seemed even safer, so Mac spent the duration of the show latched on to Mark, nervously picking at Mark's neck.  Eventually Mac loosened up a bit as Mark pointed out all the good colors.  Here they are seeing white:

 Here they are seeing red:

Once they were over Mac was quite bummed.  He kept hollering about the fireworks ... and I wish I could tell you exactly how he says it, but it is actually much too vulgar and I just can't put it on here.  We've been pushing him now to just call it fire.  That word comes out much better.

We love our country and all the good people that are in it.  We have been blessed in every way here; I can't imagine being anywhere else.  Thank you thank you, to all of those who have sacrificed in the past and who sacrifice today to make this place what it is.