Independence Day

Happy Birthday, America!

What's more American than traveling the backroads to a small rural town parade 

and having to wait for cows to cross the road?

Dan and Marty did a pretty good job at naming a bunch of those planes.

Meanwhile, Courtney, Michael and Christopher were enjoying the 4th

at Rockaway Beach on Long Island.

And Marty and Lizzie ran a 5K (Marty pushed Emi in the stroller!)

Nick was already in Watkins Glen tuning up his car and practicing for this weekend's race.

After the parade, Dan and I went straight to the airport and flew to Denver to pick up 

Marty, Lizzie and Emi.

Papa made sure to bring a flag to share with Emi.

She was living her best life walking around the plane and even took a nap!

She's the best sleeper!

(We, of course, were also living our best life!)

Lizzie brought BBQ for lunch--so glad she thought of it!

Dan rented a really big house not far from the track so we could all stay together.

It was very exciting to explore behind all the doors as there were secret windows in closets and interior bathrooms, rooms within rooms, and stairs behind a locked door that wasn't locked to an attic with two more rooms and then another surprise room through the mechanical area!

Needless to say, I was in explorer, imagination heaven!

We went to a park at the south end of Seneca lake for the fireworks

and Emi was in heaven going down the slides.

She even went on the extra big ones!

(With Daddy following up the big ladder close behind.)

We'd found a really close parking spot and were grateful to get out of traffic quickly.

We needed to stop at Walmart for groceries, and without thinking, had already turned onto the road to the parking lot when we realized we'd entered the highway to hell, 

as it was absolutely jam-packed with 4th of July revelers--

100's (1000's?) of people lined up in cars all trying to exit at the same time.

We were already down the road, doomed to traffic catastrophe,

so we double-parked anyway and Dan and I ran into the store for breakfast and snack foods.

Fifteen minutes later we were back, but the kids reported the cars in front and opposite hadn't moved at all. With the encouragement of everyone, 

(except Nick who was trying to get Dan to bust across an acre of grassy greenspace)

Dan turned down a one-way street, passing three cars but blocked by the fourth, a woman insistent that everyone play by the road rules. Dan dashed to her car (me calling after him: be friendly and calm!) to explain that he just wanted to get into the next door driveway, and she could too, and she agreed to back up so that soon we'd skipped all the lines, broken through traffic and were on our way home.

Our very own Christmas Independence Day miracle.