4th of July 2010...

I hope everyone had a happy and a safe 4th of July this year. I know we all did. The celebration started on Friday July 2nd at Dotty's school. The kids put on a parade for all the parents that lined the sidewalks to watch at their little ones waved their flags. Dotty's class was decked out in streamers and face paint and all waved their flags proudly.

After the parade, the students and the parents had a hot dog picnic in the park. Tony and I then took Dotty to another park to see the prairie dogs and play on the slides and swings. We all had a great time and made it until the rain started coming down. Then Dotty and I went to visit my dad who was having a short stay in Kell West Hospital because of an infection that showed up in his leg (don't worry...he is home and doing great).

Sunday, July 4th the Nichols family had hot dogs and hamburgers at Granny and Gang's house so I went to watch Dotty and Payton shoot off fireworks. Dotty just did the sparklers with some help from Patti but that was more than enough fun for her.

The best part of the whole evening was when Dotty was playing with her sparklers and Payton started one of those "fountain" fireworks behind Dotty (a safe distance away of course). The fountain basically just spews out sparks and changes colors. Then at the end it shoots out these balls that make a loud screeching noise as they go up in the air. Well when that thing started screaming Dotty's eyes got so wide, her mouth flew open, and her arms started shaking.

Now Tony and I were up on the porch a few feet from Dotty and she was facing us. Howard and Patti were standing right beside Dotty. Once Dotty got up the urge to run to someone she headed straight for Patti...and Dotty still had sparklers burning in her hand. Patti started backing up and all of us were yelling at Dotty to drop the sparklers. She finally did and Patti grabbed her...we were all laughing and Dotty did too once she calmed down. I don't know who was more scared...Dotty of the noisy firecracker or Patti of the sparklers Dotty had in her little hands as she ran toward her!

Needless to say Dotty was not too big on the firecrackers that made a lot of noise for the rest of the evening. In fact, she did not make it through Payton's entire firework show. She had a lot of fun though and that moment when she got so scared and ran for it is one I will remember forever. I just wish I had my camera going then....I could have been on the next America's Funniest Home Videos show!