July 4th, Ka-Boom

Two years ago, I was raging against fireworks and ready to call the cops for waking up my little baby.  Burl was four months old and was having a hard time sleeping with the noise, and I felt so bad for him.  John and I came up with a solution.  We did something we had never done before: we put him to sleep in our room, on our bed.  We were watching TV, so we took turns with him.  We snuggled closely to him, rubbed his back, and prayed over him.  We just wanted him to feel safe and loved.  I was so mad at the whole world for celebrating the 4th of July for scaring my little newborn.  Eventually he fell asleep, the noise quieted, and we moved him back to his crib where he slept all night.  

Here we are two years later with a two year old and an eight month old.  Neither one of them needed our help.  Neither one of them had a hard time sleeping.  (Those kids have slept through fireworks, loud thunder, a moody smoke alarm, and other loud noises, but open the doors to their rooms and they wake right up.)  They are great sleepers, and I'm happy about that.  And fireworks? Well, we get along just fine now.  We made up.

The Fourth of July?  We get along so well.  It took me a while to figure out why I loved this holiday more than a lot of other ones.  It's because it's so low key.  Loud fireworks at the end of the day is about as rowdy as it gets.  People stay at home and they aren't out and about.  It's almost like Christmas, but the weather is better.  

John gets off from work and for one day we get to live for just us.  We can't go anywhere because most places are closed.  We don't see many people, because most people have plans.  We just stay together.  John gets to have a summer day with us-a lazy, doddle around the house, hit the pool, lounge around day.

This year was pretty spot-on for a great day:

Our morning started out pretty casual until my mom called to see if she could stop by and say hi.  She did and taught Burl the old put-your-sister-in-the-grocery-cart-and-push-her-around trick that I thought we were years away from.  Luckily, Burl can't lift Fern and he hasn't asked to put her in the buggy again.  Oh my...I know the day is coming.  

Next on the list: pool.  Gosh, I think summers were invented just for some good old pool time.  

My mother and her pool-mom-friends taught me well: The key to a long, successful day at the pool is a good basket of snacks.  It's been a long time since I've seen Burl eat as much as he did.  A lot of splashing = a lot of hummus.  Do the math.

My tip: the key to a successful day at the pool with babies are the floats.  However, I've not found one that will keep them safe so I can read and nap by the pool.  I even asked my pediatrician.  

Our {friend's} pool is so fancy that it even has a timeout chair.  

After the pool, we had a nice little storm that made for a great nap time for everyone.  Then, we made some burgers, I felt compelled to make granola, we did the bedtime routine, and I felt so relaxed that I went outside and snipped my first vase of hydrangeas.  

And just like that, a slow, mellow holiday with the fam is exactly what I want.

To July Fourth, thanks for a day off, low expectations, and some heat that sends us to the pool.  Even though I don't like you're color choice, Miss Independence, I like your mood.  Let's keep it simple every year.  That's how I roll.