Perfectly Imperfect: 4th of July

Monday, July 5, 2010

4th of July

We had a pretty low key July 4th this year since a.) Ella goes to bed when it's still light outside and b.) Ella is not a fan of loud noises. We went over to my parent's house to eat dinner and let Ella wear herself out. She did her typical things. She played with Autumn, Jenna (neighbor dog), she rode "putt putt", chased the kitties, and ran around like a crazy woman. She was exhausted by the time we got home. Fireworks were going off until midnight in our neighborhood, and we never heard a peep out of Ella. She was exhausted!

Every holiday I think back to the year before and what Ella looked like. Here is a picture of Ella last 4th of July....

Here she is this year! I can't believe how much she has changed.

I don't even want to think about how much she will change by next year at this time. She will look like a big girl I am sure. It still makes me laugh to think last year Ella woke up right before the fireworks started and watched them all on my lap. She was such a trooper, but she had no idea what was going on. I hope Ella has great memories of 4th of July like I do when she grows up. Every year we used to go to my aunt, uncle, and cousins house a couple days before the fourth. Once we got there we would go buy fireworks. Once I had a job I started saving so I could buy my own fireworks. My cousin Megan and I were pyromaniacs. We spent most of our visit blowing up random items with firecrackers. It was a blast! I have very fond memories of those trips, and I hope Ella has fond memories of blowing up stuff with her cousin too..haha:)

The fourth wouldn't be complete without a sparkler bomb. In the years past we have spent all day making these, but this year we decided against making them since Ella and Autumn were both there. We got the itch after we ate so my dad and brother went to buy some sparklers. Unfortunately, we had a bigger flame than boom, but it was still fun!

In honor of the fourth I made some red, white, and blue cupcakes. I was really excited that they actually looked the way they were supposed to. I can't wait to start making these for different holidays in different colors.