Happy Independence Day :)

Every Independence Day for the last 5 years we have held the same tradition - our family packs a cooler full of food and then we hang out at the Boise Depot for a few hours while we wait for our amazing view of the city fireworks! Our kids love it, and I think both Damon and I share the appreciation for the beautiful explosions and their symbolism.

This is the view from where we were hanging out that I captured while we waited as the sun set slowly.

And while we waited... of course we had to explore!

There are huge fish to see!

Our family is growing up so quickly. Damon and I sat and watched people play and have fun with their frisbees and footballs - and once again, I was struck with the amazing fact that our kids are old enough to be crazy running frisbee throwing kids too. Darn. At home we have the trampoline, hula hoops, and sprinklers to be crazy with - but we don't yet have anything that travels to play outside with. We're going to put that on the agenda of things we MUST get.

But we had a stellar good time any way! We all stayed close to Damon. Sometimes it's hard when we see him so little but we are really dedicated to staying a strong close knit family. It was so great to be together for hours (in day light even!!) as a family. The kids crawled all over Daddy while they could..

Now, Damon being there was a special surprise to the kids. I had prepared them for his potential absence and I think they understood because he did get up and head out with the crew bright and early in the morning of the 4th. We hit a BBQ with our great friends and then we all celebrated when he showed up to join us before we left our home. It really felt awesome!!

And of course, Kalani and me stayed close too!

Our awesome 6 year old snapped this one of us together! Can you believe it's been 12 years together?

Some nearby families shared a huge glow stick with Declan, which was a lifesaver for him. By 10 pm he was exhausted but the fireworks didn't start until 1030. So... He had fun with a glow stick!

And as the sun finally went down, the sky lit up and we all marveled at the explosions and our deep gratitude for our lives.

I'm so thankful for our lives, really. It's incredibly hard to describe the intense gratitude I feel when I sit and really think of it. I know we're on the path of happiness and living it daily. The commitment it takes to hold ourselves up through adversity, struggle, and unexpected turns in the road are seemingly easy. We have so much to learn in life, but I know we are on the right path for us. These traditions are just small moments in the daily grind of our lives together. How awesome.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Independence Day!!