4th of July

The best thing about the 4th of July this year is that it marked my first day of a five-day vacation.  We've done a lot already, which has exhausted me so much that I'll have to tell the story in increments.

Part 1.

I realized that we've never talked to Scarlett about July 4th.  We told her about Christmas beforehand, and she had books about Easter so she was prepared for that.  But Wednesday came and we told her a fun outside party, but not really about the holiday part.

The morning of, Erin and I ran an easy peasy 13.1 miles.  You know, just a quick trip around Sauvie Island, on foot, with 1,800 of our closest friends, to celebrate the birth of our country.  We had strawberry shortcake afterwards but Scarlett ate most of mine.

That afternoon, she did as she always does when we have someplace to be after naptime- she napped a loooooonnnnnnnng time.  Three hours and some change.  So, she was cheerful when we finally made it to the aforementioned outside party, at Amber's parents' house.  We had food and wine and good company.  The weather was perfect.  I felt lucky.

And surprisingly, Scarlett wasn't afraid of the fireworks.  She hopped up onto my lap and hid her ears for the high-pitched ones, but mostly she sat on the sidewalk, playing peacefully with Mr. Potatohead.  She really, really loved Mr. Potatohead.

I didn't take pictures but Amber did, so check 'em out on her blog
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Happy belated birthdays to America, and to Carrie. I ate snacks in honor of both of you.