July 4th, 2016

Usually, we are on our annual beach vacation around the 4th of July, but this year we were on our own.  So Chad and I decided to pack the kids in the car and head a few miles west to take in some fireworks.  We went to Great Meadow, in the Plains, and planned a family picnic, taking in some sights, and then watching fireworks from the car.  It was the perfect spot!!

We took in some polo matches and a helicopter exhibition.  The kids really loved watching the horses in the polo match.

Then, we headed back to the car for our picnic dinner.  We brought some pb&j sandwiches for Lauren.  And we brought a cheese/salami tray for Chad, Charlie, and me.  We also had some fruit and finished the meal with some marshmallow treats.

Once it started getting dark, we brought out the glow in the dark glasses.  Chad and I brought those so we wouldn't get suckered into buying a $10 glow stick at some of the concession stands.  It worked!  The kids loved them, and so did the adults!!

       

       

The fireworks were amazing.  We could hear the music piped throughout the grounds and we spent the whole evening trying to pick out our favorite ones.  I still love the gold glittery ones.  They did not do the screamer fireworks that Chad loves.  And Lauren loved the loud ones.  Charlie did great, but he didn't really have any favorites yet.

I am not sure what our plans are for next 4th of July, but if we are not at our annual beach vacation, I have no doubt that we will try to go back to Great Meadows for their fireworks show.  It really was a LOT of fun!!

A few days later, on the actual 4th of July, we pulled out some sparklers and did a few driveway fireworks with the kids.  They were a little scared, so we placed them in the back of Chad's pickup truck.  From that safe vantage point, they certainly enjoyed watching Chad set off the small fountains and little screamers.

                 

                               

I felt bad for setting off a couple "loud" fountain fireworks after 8 pm, but that feeling quickly faded when the neighbors began setting off real (and very loud) fireworks around 10 pm.  Our kids and dog slept through the whole thing, so Chad and I were able to enjoy quite a show from our front porch!  =)