4th of July

I love the 4th of July!! It's a Jenkins family favorite holiday! 

Spencer took the girls in the morning to the Camarillo Drive Parade put on by the Arbon families. We've been loving having our Terry cousins here and were thrilled to be able to celebrate with them! I wish Cal and I could have been there but I wanted to make sure he got a nap in before heading to the beach.

L-R: Kaitlyn, Tyler, Shaun, Ashley, Eric, Madi, & Elle

After the parade Spencer and the girls headed back to Boppi and Grandpa Al's with cousins to play while I packed lunches and beach stuff and waited for Cal to wake up.

It was a perfect beach day with lots of friends and family to hang with! 

Even Cal had fun and got in on the sand action!

Elle, Madi, Easton, and Brooklyn:

After the beach I dropped Spence off at his parents to get the root beer going while I cruised home with the kids to give baths and get cleaned up for dinner and fireworks. I even got Elle to take a 15 minute nap. Then back to Boppi and Grandpa Al's for dinner and fun with cousins and lots of friends!

4th of July dinner is my favorite of ALL the holidays! Nothing beats an all American BBQ (complete with homemade hamburger buns - compliments of my amazing sister-in-law, Lindsay Terry) homemade root beer, homemade onion rings, corn on the cob, lots of salads, fresh fruits, and veggies, then topped off with homemade ice cream!!

Mom and dad Jenkins sure know how to throw a great party! I think we had 31 people in all!

After ice cream, we hurried off with the Bell's and Terry's to watch fireworks from the Village of the Park soccer fields.

The kids were all tired- especially Calvin, but they were all so excited about staying up late, playing with glow sticks, and watching fireworks! One of my favorite things is snuggling with my kids during fireworks cause I love watching and hearing their reaction to it all. Brittany pulled Cal out of the stroller once it started and he was mesmerized. Lucky for me, he wanted to come sit in my lap about 5 minutes in. I asked Madi to come snuggle closer, but without looking at me she tells me she can't because she can't take her eyes off the beautiful fireworks. It was a great show!

How grateful I am for this beautiful land of America that we get to live in and for all the freedoms we enjoy. I look forward to doing more activities with the kids when they're a bit older to help them more fully understand the significance of this beloved holiday and to help them truly appreciate the sacrifices of those who helped to make it great! Including this link from Power of Moms for future use.