This last 4th of July was very festive for us, for Eva was old enough to take part. Our friends, Brad and Dalina, invited us to there place for a relaxing day of BBQing, then a great view of 3 different fireworks shows right from their back yard. Before the day started, Eva and I slaved away in the kitchen making red, white, and blue cupcakes and M & M cookies. Eva did a great job adding sprinkles and then, of course, enjoyed taste testing the final product...
On day of, we got dressed up in festive clothes, then headed out the door...
Once there, everyone had a blast. While the guys were playing Over The Line and drinking a few beers, the girls hung out on the blankets and enjoyed watching all the kids playing. Eva had so much fun playing with everyone. Her new friend, Kale, was nice enough to patiently teach her how to bat a ball, throw a ball, and blow bubbles by herself. It was adorable!
While hanging with the bigger kids was fun, Eva didn't leave out the babies of the bunch. She sat for a while, letting the baby girls grab her and scope out her eyes, ears, and nose, then eventually joined them in playing with their toys...
The funnest part of it all, though, was all the quality time she got to spend with her cousins. They taught her how to eat a sucker, which, of course, she thoroughly enjoyed...
Soon enough, the sun was setting and nighttime was near. Mommy and Daddy were prepared to head home in fear of a fussy and tired baby. But, to our surprise, Eva remained happy and alive as preparations for the fireworks began. Dalina was amazing with giving all the kids fun toys to play with, including glow in the dark wands. Eva was excited to have the yellow one, for she loves talking about yellow, hoping to pick the color out wherever she can...
Soon the fireworks started and Eva was in awe. She loved watching them sparkle in the sky, adding her own "Oooh"s, "Ahhhhh"s, and "Wow!"s through the whole thing. It might've been my best 4th of July ever after seeing how happy Eva was.
As ten o'clock was approaching, we all got together for a timed group shot...
Then headed home for bed.