How the Fishers Celebrated the Fourth

There's something special about the Fourth of July.  More than the simple fact that, by its definition, it is the quintessential American holiday, it stands out to me as a day of the year like no other.  Maybe because it lands in the summer, when the pace of life is naturally relaxed?  Maybe because there are no gifts or specific ceremonies that add stress?  Maybe because it's all about family time and having fun in the way each family chooses?

By saying all of that, I do not want to, in any way, diminish the significance of the date and the bravery (ludicrous bravery?) of the patriots who made the break with England and set our country on a new course, sacrificing, in many cases, their own lives to do so.  Studying the first part of American history this past year with Josiah and David reminded me of how absurd it was to believe, back in the tumultuous 1770s, that tiny little America could actually pull off a separation from proud and mighty England.  So we remember...and give thanks...and ENJOY the privilege of being Americans.

This year we enjoyed it by doing a few special things.  Wanna see?  :)

The day began with the whole family going downtown to watch Josiah run a 5K and David run a mile race.

Josiah had run two 5Ks on this course previously, so he was quite familiar with it.

It was David's first time running a mile here; and to tell you the truth, he surprised us.  They didn't time the mile runners, but Jeff kept watch and saw that he came in 5th out of all the mile runners!  :)  I wasn't expecting him to finish so quickly so I wasn't ready with my camera when he crossed the finish line - horrors!  ;-)  He really loved running it and said that next time, he might be ready to do the 5K.  :)

While we waited for Josiah to finish the 5K, Shav decided to try to walk only on the white lines in the parking area.  :)

And then Josiah came, sprinting across the finish line, finishing jubilantly.

He felt really good about how the race went; and to tell you the truth, he expected to set a new personal record.  His former previous best in a 5K was 31:20.  His time in this race?  31:23.  Although I was extremely proud of him, he lamented those four seconds that kept him from breaking his record!  On the bright side though, he did beat his record on this particular course by more than a minute, so that's something.  :)

After the race, we greeted a few friends...

...waited for a train to go by...

...and then headed home.  After I put Moriah in bed for a nap, I sat down on the couch to read some books to Tobin and Shav, which was a mistake because after I finished the books, I found myself completely unable to get up off the couch, and I laid down for a nice morning nap.  That 5K really wore me out!!  ;-)  I wasn't alone though: Shav snuggled up beside me and fell asleep, too.  :)

When lunchtime rolled around, I wanted to make something special for my boys in honor of the 4th.  I thought about doing this patriotic food, but then decided to tweak it a little, using bananas for the white part instead of marshmallows and putting it into a bowl instead of on a skewer (easier to eat it from a bowl).  :)  My original intention was to use fresh strawberries in this; but the day before the holiday, when I looked for strawberries at the grocery store we stopped at during an afternoon of errands, I discovered that they cost an arm and a leg.  Right there on the sign beside the strawberries, it said, "One arm and one leg."  ;-)  So, being rather fond of all my limbs, I didn't get any.

Plan B was much cheaper: pulling a jar of homemade strawberry jam out of the freezer and using that for the red part of this red, white, and blue concoction!

I hardly had time to take pictures of it before little hands were reaching for it.  :)

It was definitely a hit; and David's plea was, "Don't make it JUST for the Fourth of July!"  :)

After lunch, there was time for a dip in the pool--with Daddy, which makes it even better.  :)

 While the older ones were outside playing, Moriah was still finishing up her lunch inside...

 ...and having some crawl-around-on-the-floor time...

 ...before going out to the pool.

 It was her first time really being in the pool, except for dipping her feet in a few times before.  Although her face showed surprise at the coolness of the water when I first put her in that boat, she quickly got used to it and then had a great time playing, especially kicking her feet in the water.  :)

After time in the pool, we had afternoon quiet time and another nap for Moriah; then later in the day, we headed downtown again for the parade.

 Oh, the parade!  I wonder how many other parades like this were happening all across the country on the Fourth?  Ours was definitely a small-town parade; but even if it doesn't hold a candle to a big-city parade, there's just something that stirs within a heart when the flag goes by.

 These are the moments in which I have to swallow hard because of the lump in my throat, and I'm extra grateful to be wearing sunglasses so no one can tell if a tear happens to escape my eyes!

  Apart from the sentimentality of it, let me share a few thoughts about the parade:
1. We happened to end up next to a lady who was very talkative.  :)  Before the parade started, she told me that her husband died in March...and that her son told her that she needed to get out and do stuff, rather than just sitting at home all the time...and that she's helping to raise her great-granddaughters.  She had two girls with her who were Fresh Air kids (which was really neat because we had just had our interview two nights previously to become Fresh Air Fund hosts in August!), and she told me that she'll host two more children during the August Fresh Air week.  She also told me that she's planning to host a foreign exchange student this coming year.  From our brief conversation, I surmised (and I freely admit that I'm jumping to conclusions here) that she probably didn't have much money or education; and yet her heart was so big!  To open her home to others...to reach OUT instead of IN during a time of grief...well, what a lady!
2. The highlight of the parade for my boys is, for better or for worse, the candy.  That might be a shallow reason to love a parade, but that's how it is at this stage of life.  :)  Because of that, this parade was actually a disappointment to them.  For one thing, we were sitting close to the end of the parade route--not intentionally.  As a matter of fact, the parade went the opposite way from how it usually processes through town!  But it was a little sad to see parade participants walk by, empty bags in hand, bags that we knew had once held candy but it was all gone.  Neither Shav nor Josiah got any candy, and Tobin and David only got one piece each--and that because of the generosity of the boy they were sitting beside (that Josiah knew from choir).  For me, I figure we have PLENTY of candy at home, and it wasn't a big deal to not be given any there.  But I know that their sweet hearts were disappointed.
3. One of the things I loved about this parade was a group of cars from one of our nearby retirement communities.  I remember one of the cars in particular--in the back were a couple of little old ladies who looked like they were having the time of their life riding in that parade.  You should have seen them smiling and waving to the people lining the streets!  I absolutely loved it.  :)
4. At the end of the parade came the Salvation Army Band playing a medley of tunes, and just in front of them was a Salvation Army float with a wooden(?) horse and buggy and some cute children in it.  On that was a sign which said simply, "Where will you spend eternity?"  It stopped me in my tracks.  "That's all that matters," I thought.  "That's truly all that matters.  All the rest of this will be gone in a flash, but eternity!  That matters."

After the parade, we needed to feed our hungry troops, so after driving around a little, we ended up at Pizza Hut where we feasted on my favorite pizza: Meat Lover's pan pizza with pineapple added.  :)   Oh, and a pepperoni pizza, for those in the family with less sophisticated taste buds.  ;-)

Then we went home!

The celebration wasn't over yet, however.  After Little Miss Cutie Pie was in bed and darkness fell, we sat around outside with our neighbors, drinking root beer floats and watching Jeff set off fireworks.  It just so happened that Marjorie, the author of this cookbook that I love, and her husband were visiting our neighbors, so they came along, too; and I particularly enjoyed the chance to talk with her.

It was a perfect way to end a nearly-perfect day!  :)