Happy Third!

Tonight we staged a little pre-July fourth extravaganza at the White House for Emily and Abby. First we spent some time in the hot tub. The girls love to get together and swim, especially now that we have music outside thanks to Donald's sweet electronic skills. After that, they took another swim in the tub and created a HUGE mountain of bubbles using the jets - always a blast. We ordered some Chinese takeout, which is one of our favorites. The girls absolutely gobbled down everything that was put in front of them. For Emily, this is not such a big deal - she eats everything! However, Abby is a picky eater, so it's nothing short of a miracle when she eats so much - and strange food, too! Later, we all sprayed down with bug spray and headed outdoors (in pajamas!) to set off some fireworks that Emily and Donald picked out this week. Most of you know she doesn't like loud noises, so they especially picked out the ones that had a low noise rating. They weren't quite all as quiet as she would have liked, but she did pretty well. Donald planned on smoking a cigar while shooting the fireworks - it's a handy way to light them, something I think he learned from Papa John - but Emily cried and told him that smoking was bad for him when she saw him with the "smoker." So children really DO listen when you tell them this stuff! Mimi, Papa, and Amy were able to join us for the last few when they came to pick up Abby. We decided to call it quits for the evening after Donald the Pyrotechnician blazed up a patch of grass beside the driveway with one of the bigger fireworks. Tomorrow may be the real Fourth but tonight was lots of fun! I think perhaps we've started a new tradition.

I love this picture! Could their expressions be any sweeter? Happy Fourth (or Third) to you and yours!