Life... as we know it: 4th of July

It was a Star Spangled Kind of Day!

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to engage in 4th of July festivities. The day started out cloudy and rainy but ended up in a somewhat cool and overcast evening! The high was only in the upper 90's which is a huge shift from the scorching 115 degree plus weather we have been having! Of course when the weather is rainy, Suri takes full advantage of her sleep; sleeping longer than average hours- She didn't wake up until 8am!!! I don't think she has ever slept in that late! It was nice, because it pushed her afternoon nap back and allowed her to stay awake to catch a glimpse of some fire works before bed!

This morning, after Suri woke up, she and I headed over to a near by park to play; taking full advantage of our day off as well as of the cloudy weather! ( I figured we should take advantage of slides that are not burning hot while we can!) Suri's Dad met us there and she had some fun swinging on the swings with him. It seems like just yesterday, Suri needed a my hand while exploring the jungle gym but today, she attempted everything practically unassisted... amazing.

After Suri's nap, she and I headed North to the Fountain Hills Independence Day Festival. There was a live band and activities for the kids. The festival was located on the lake and the Fountain Hills Fountain was practically close enough to touch! It was nice as it wasn't too crowded and we hardly had to wait in line for anything! (My kind of place when you are juggling a stroller, a camera and a toddler all at once!)

Suri enjoyed the mini petting zoo as well as jumping in the bounce house and eating a snow cone! After Suri played for a while, we went for a walk around the lake while listening to the band. Suri was on excellent behavior and I couldn't have been prouder of my Little Sparkler today!

We left the festival before it was dark and headed home for dinner. After dinner, Suri and I went for a walk around the neighborhood (another thing we haven't been able to do lately due to the hot temperatures) and played outside for a while. Once it was dark, Suri was able to catch a glimpse of some fireworks that we were able to see from our backyard. She kept saying "wow"; oh how I wish I could have video taped her, she was absolutely amazed by the sparkles in the sky!