Fourth of July (AKA Rick's birthday)

Our Independence Day this year was eventful. Being Rick's birthday and all we did our best to jam pack it full.

We started off at a breakfast hosted by our bishop's family. Rick got in a game of cornhole which is a uniquely Ohio tradition. It's basically beanbag toss but they keep score like in horseshoes. Our bishop lives right on the parade route so they had invited a ton of young families so as to maximize the joy for the little ones. Piper hadn't witnessed a parade before and was doubly excited that they threw candy. My friend Lexi calls the candy-throwing at parades the "lazy kids Halloween" - no effort required. Rick thought that the parade felt like a genuine piece of Americana, something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

After the parade we opened presents with Rick, after all it was his birthday. He received a bag of tees and a box of golf balls from Piper and me. We didn't go heavy on the gifts seeing as Father's Day was only two weeks before and because he had bought some clothes, a new laptop bag, and a golf bag for himself already.

We then went to the Leymaster's house for a barbecue. I had made a large fruit flag cake (I'll post the pic once I get it from my friend) which was a duplicate of last year's cake but this time I made the full recipe, not the half batch. Let's just say that a LOT of butter and cream cheese were used in the process.

The barbecue was followed by a ward activity which is hosted by a woman I visit teach. She and her family have members of the ward bring appetizers and desserts and then settle down in their front yard to watch the fireworks go off at the park across the street. Piper seemed pretty nonplussed about the fireworks. She didn't end up going to bed until late, late.

I only ended up getting pictures of the breakfast and the parade but we all had a fun day. God bless America, land that I love!

You'll have to excuse the young man in the background, our ward is so funny.


Piper looking cute in her white linen pants. What was I thinking when I bought these pants for a toddler?! She kept them clean the whole day though. Also, at library storytime she and I made the star wand she's holding. They were so easy that we made a bunch more for her friends.


Piper is waiting for the parade to start with her two friends Matt and Luke. She loves these boys, sometimes she wants me to pretend that I'm one and she's the other.

Me and my sweetheart

Watching the bagpipers of Lakewood

The firefighters of Lakewood. We were just hoping that they didn't get a call in the middle of the parade.