4th of July

 We spent 8 glorious days in Leakey for the 4th of July!  We did all of the usual stuff, swam, ate, painted tubes, floated the river, chillaxed, shopped, and just really enjoyed being together on vacation!  

 This year was the first year that Jaden and Brody painted their very own tube!  Brody painted a Captain America tube and Jaden made a color tube with every kind of paint we had.  It was fun and I was glad to hand down my painting responsibilities to the next generation!

 We let the kids stay up a little past  bedtime to chase fireflies and watch fireworks.  It was truly a time that is was worth missing bedtime.  There is something so  magical about experiencing things for the first time with your children.  This was the first time for both boys to catch fireflies and one of the few times they have been up late enough to watch fireworks.   They had so much fun doing both activities and we all loved their pure joy and excitement!  

 We had lots of family dinners! YUM!

 And of course we participated in the annual Leakey 4th of July Parade!  This was the 100th parade in Leakey, so it was extra special!  We decorated Papa's old truck and threw candy to all the spectators!  This was Brody's first year to actually throw candy and I am not quite sure he was to happy to throw away all that perfectly good candy.  We had to save him a bundle to convince him it was ok to give some away!   

 Oh how do I love these boys!  Just looking at this picture makes my heart swell! Thanks be to God for these amazing men and little men in my life!

They have a great little market after the parade with booths and vendors.  I almost always find something cute to bring home with me.  The boys found snow cones.  Looks like Brody did not want to share his with Daddy!  He has got that grumpy face down pat! Can't wait til next year!