4th of July Celebration

We had a really nice of 4th of July. We spent most of the day being lazy (though we did squeeze in a workout) and just enjoying hanging out as a family. Our church, Faithbridge, was having a huge community-wide celebration and concert. We thought it sounded fun, and we knew a lot of our friends would be there, so we thought we would try it out.

When I say we were BLOWN AWAY with this event, it is an understatement. We parked at the high school and were shuttled over in large, air-conditioned buses. I think I heard them say they had over 16 buses, ready to shuttle people back and forth.

We arrived at the church campus, and were handed picnic blanket with the Faithbridge logo on it; one per family, to keep! There were concessions for snow cones, funnel cakes, water and soft drinks...all for free. Yeah, did I mention this whole event was free?

We found our friends, Hayden & Lauren and Thomas & Lindsey, and added our blanket to theirs. The weather was so nice! It was not humid and actually had a nice breeze, so sitting outside, with friends, was quite the relaxing atmosphere, despite the fact there were thousands of people everywhere.

Nathan and Christy Nockels (formerly Watermark) gave a concert while we were waiting for the sun to set. I never get tired of listening to them. Ever.

Here is a run-down of the rest of the night, via pictures.
Ryleigh in her 4th of July outfit from Great Aunt Kathy. Thanks Aunt Kathy!
Hayley and Ryleigh kept sharing (and stealing) each others stuff. First it was the straw. Then a sippy cup. Once they received these (free) light up necklaces, they were really having fun with their little game!
Hayden, Lauren, Hayley, and Little Girl #2 Austin.
Jesse, me, and Ryleigh. I'm sitting at a very awkward angle here, trying to make sure no one can see up my skirt!! Haha. And Jesse, though smiling slightly, is still trying to hide behind us. Only a few more months babe, and those teeth are going to be shining brightly through your beautiful, perfect smile!
Lindsey and Lyric. Lyric is going to be Lindsey's flowergirl in a few months; she is quite the cutie, and sweet as can be.

Jesse, Ryleigh, and I went right up near the stage for the concert. No to sound obsessive, or put Christy up on a pedestal, but man, that girl can sing. It never ceases to amaze me how crystal clear her voice is; without recording or voice-overs. She is naturally blessed with a beautiful voice, and I just love to listen to her. I feel so blessed that her brother works for our church so we get the privilege of sharing worship with them from time to time.
I just love this picture of my man and my baby. We were having a great time, if you can't tell by Ryleigh's smile...
and then Ryleigh decided she wanted on "Mama's" shoulders. Didn't work quite so well...
so she settled for a hug from Mama.
Before the fireworks display began, kids were running everywhere, playing with donated Frisbees, balls, you name it. If we put Ryleigh down for even half a second, she was literally on the run, trying to keep up with the big kids.

*Side note: Can you see the "Too Cute" written across her bottom? It was too cute!

Once it got dark, a nearby-stationed army group conducted the presentation of flags, while each military unit's song played. Then, a few kids from the church led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Christy sang the National Anthem. I love watching Jesse during these times- the pride he has in our nation and those who serve it is amazing and something he is very passionate about.
After a countdown, the fireworks show began. I heard that it costs approximately $1000 per minute for a fireworks show of this size- ours lasted almost 20 minutes. And the entire thing was donated by HEB (along with all the concession snacks I mentioned earlier). Wow. God is so good.
Ryleigh had started to get tired, but she watched every minute of the fireworks.
Hayden and Hayley had fun watching the fireworks too.
(Lindsey, I took a picture of you and Thomas during the fireworks because you guys looked so cute, but my flash did not reach far enough and you can barely see you guys!)

Once the show was over, we assumed there would be a mad dash for the buses and major traffic jam. They were so organized though!! They lined people up into 16 lines, and just kept moving. We were on the first bus round (and no, we did not run to the buses) and never had to wait. Exiting the school parking lot was more of the same- zero wait time.

All in all, we were more than impressed. It was a fun, family-friendly event we got to share with friends, with amazing music, awesome fireworks, and a special celebration of our nation's freedom. We will definitely make this an annual tradition.