Two American Firecrackers

Things are getting fun.
As challenging as this life can be, talking toddlers with their cute little voices and happy squeals are fun.
The Fourth of July holiday is no exception - it was lots of fun this year.  We went to the pool, played with sparklers, and made homemade ice cream.  We really enjoyed the long, American weekend.

First stop on our 4th of July weekend - the bank!

love it when Sydney loves something, she hugs and squeezes so tightly

Everyone at the bank had a freaking hay-day with the girls.  They walked in just talking, waving, and being so cute.  One of the ladies hooked them up with stickers and suckers galore.

they got hooked up with sticker and suckers

Going on a walk with Kim - and they found her "right dare!"

"Bome on, Eyya"
(they both say come with a B)

We celebrated Seth's second birthday with a small family shin dig at his house.

waving Bye Bye

The evolution of getting a picture with three two-year-olds.  Cracks me up every time!

oh, hey cute boy!

Ella & Sydney

"Bome on, Syd-ee"

After we celebrated Seth, we went with Ashley and Jacob to see fireworks.  We opted for the weekend fireworks show since A) weeknights are hard and B) we've never taken the girls, so the idea of an after-bedtime, loud, and crowded adventure could go awry at any time.  We obviously would need a day to recover if things went south ;)  Just kidding, I just like to sleep in.

Momma was smart to pack glow sticks!
pretty wands for the princesses, and a sword for the prince

the key to success: Daddy is playing Trolls

And the verdict... they did great!  They weren't overly enthusiastic, but it was late and they were tired.  Ella kept saying "bye bye fireworks" and Sydney said "pretty".  I'm thrilled they weren't scared of the loud noises.

almost time for the show to start

Momma and Sydney

Daddy and Ella

Up next on our all-American weekend, lots of time in the pool!

Who cares about the slip 'n slide, sprinkler, and pool - we found a puddle

Ella giving Sydney a little push down the slip 'n slide

And Sydney returning the favor

And the very best part of the whole day was the water house - they had soooo much fun

Summertime joy for a toddler

The girls woke up from their nap and Sydney reached over and said, "Hi Eyya"

KK came over and we hung out at the pool for a while, then came home to grill and make homemade ice cream.

snapchat with KK

And the evening's grand finale - sparklers!  Again, just like fireworks - no fear!

all American family

Dancing with Daddy in the kitchen

making pancakes - new favorite weekend tradition

I dressed the girls up in a pretty red, white, and blue dress and we walked down to the lake for a few pictures

They really enjoyed visiting the birds.

Hi burrrds! 
"TEET, TEET, TEET, TEET"

But one bird in particular did not enjoy the visit from the #doublesinks

Caught on camera, Exhibit A: the swan preparing to attack the girls.  It even hissed at them.  For real.  Photo shoots with these two get rather hairy sometimes.


Exhibit A

Next American adventure: Chik-Fil-A for lunch

Ella cannot handle herself when she's been given chocolate milk

We went to my parent's for a cookout, quick pool adventure, then another round of sparklers since they were such a hit before.  The day before, I took the girls to find new sparklers, opting for much longer handles, since they were so fearless before.

Ella was very tired

I love us

Sydney stared at her sparklers with such amazement

our two firecrackers

On the way home, we were in our neighborhood and saw some fireworks in the distance from the fairgrounds, so we pulled over, popped open the trunk, and watched for a few minutes together <3