My July 4th weekend was really wonderful. I had a full weekend plus an extra day of having my husband at home with me and my kids plus PERFECT summer weather to top it all off!! What more can you ask for on a holiday weekend?!! That’s all 4 of us showing our #4 in appreciation of the big day!
My little patriot who also showed his love for the Atlanta Falcons!
I am so thankful for times like these that allow us to get together with friends and family members to celebrate a truly important holiday to all of us who are so lucky to live in this country. Not to bore anyone with history stats, but after some searching, I found an interesting bit of info that John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail 2 days before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence was official- and yes, he predicted the date to be on July 2nd, just a bit early but close enough! In a nutshell, the D.O.I. allowed the thirteen colonies to be legally separated from Great Britain in 1776:
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
Well I think ole John Adams hit the nail on the head with the pomp and games and illuminations. We were in sparkler heaven this July 4th, check out the pic of my two sweet boys loooving their tiny fireworks…before my littlest one grabbed the hot end of the sparkler after it finished “sparkling!!” Oops. Adams also made a good point to his wife that we should basically be thankful and grateful to God for all that we have been given.
Me and my girls with 2 of our 8 little people between us!
We got to hang out with some of our greatest friends at their new home (thankful for) with all of our beautiful children (thankful for) and enjoy yummy food (thankful for) and just plain old togetherness (thankful for!). Our July 4th parties have definitely calmed down a bit since my college days and pre-baby days, but I must say I love celebrating with all of our little people and my little one growing in my belly (she gave me a great reason to chow down on
EVERYTHING we all made- can’t you tell by my profile?!).
There has been so much goodness in my life lately and I think holidays just give us great reason to pause and really be grateful for all things big and small that give us joy. A little hint, most of the things you think about, probably have nothing to do with money or tangible things. And if there is anything that is bothering you, or you feel like nothing is going right in your life that you could be thankful for, just remember this quote I got from Oprah-yes her again!
“It’s not easy being grateful all the time. But it’s when you feel least thankful
that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you. Perspective.”
