Happy Birthday America!

Happy Birthday America! We celebrated our freedom today by enjoying the freedom of a day at the planetarium. We met up with the Landreneaus and the Pagans who were also celebrating their freedom at the planetarium. They participated in several exhibits. They learned about clouds and tornadoes. They learned about the effects of water and sediment. They spent a lot of time in a forensics lab. They learned about the skeleton and how to use a microscope to see small particles. But the attraction that kept calling for their attention was the Star Wars Lego exhibit. There they re-enacted all of their favorite Star Wars moments. It seems like all nine kids in attendance were fanatics. Our final stop was in the planetarium for the Star Show. Inside, the kids got to see the summer nighttime sky. They learned about meteors, asterisms and constellations. For the dads, it was hard to stay awake in there. We're kind of like parakeets--if you turn off the lights, we'll eventually fall asleep. Dad enjoyed his nap.

We said goodbye to our friends to make it home for lunch. We got some rest and then prepared for classic 4th of July food--BBQ! While Dad fired up the pit, the kids spent some time in the sprinkler. Nice to do on a triple-digit temperatured day!

Before supper, we had a little ceremony in front of the flag to honor our nation's birthday. We prayed that God would continue to bless and protect our nation. We next showed honor to our nation by saying the pledge and singing our national anthem. We were proud of the kids for being so participatory.

After wolfing down the BBQ, we sang "Happy Birthday to U...S...A! (written by Gus and played on the piano by him). The kids put up birthday cards and coloring sheets to honor our nation. Then Gus and Mom unveiled their dessert masterpiece--A USA Fruit Tart. It looked incredible and tasted even better. Kudos to them for their hard work!

After showers and prayers, we winded down and headed to bed. Tonight it was with a little bit more appreciation for what we have and what has been given to us. We realize how fortunate we are to have freedom and to be able to celebrate it. Happy 4th of July!