How Fireworks and Peace Coexist

There are so many songs I'd include on my summertime play list. One of them **has** to be "Water" by Brad Paisley (video is at bottom of post...love it!) simply due to the fact that everyone in the family loves the water.

Especially the kids. More especially...Shelby. She's part mermaid.

I got to spend July 4th at the lake with them this past weekend and oh-my-goodness. We had so much fun. I kept getting, "Mommy...when are you gonna jump in?" and I'd answer, "I'm taking pictures!". I wanted to capture every moment. I don't get to see them in this free-spirited environment enough and I wanted them to have pictures to look back on. I wanted the pictures too.

I kept telling them that even though **someone** accused me of being afraid of the lake water (not true...just near the shore where the snakes are, thank you very much) I really was having fun even though I wasn't in the lake swimming. I know swimming around with them would have been fun too, but then I wouldn't have had the pictures to remember it all by.

By all accounts, it was wonderful. Kids holding sparklers, playing on the lake, watching fireworks from a boat, witnessing what was possibly the craziest red-neck fireworks shows from every vantage point, listening to Ben say, "That was awesome!!" every time they set off their own fireworks, barbecue, pasta salad and ending it all sitting on the quiet deck with a sky plastered full of stars, fireworks still going off in the distance and a cool breeze coming off the lake. Ahhhhhhhh...

And did I take a crazy amount of pictures! Here's a very small sampling...

And by the way, just in case you were wondering, the **best** way to watch fireworks is from a boat on the lake right, smack-dab underneath 'em. WOW.

Enjoy the Water this summer and grabbing on to every memorable moment you can get...