Our 4th!

We had such a great 4th of July! It was a bit of a whirlwind weekend but we got a LOT accomplished in our house and in the yard.

Sunday night (the 3rd) we went to a picnic with the Young Adults group at our church. Ems wore her new shirt from MiMi & Grandpa. The night before I realized that she didn't have any jean shorts, only skirts. I found a pair of jeans that were a little short on her and made some cut offs.

Daddy thought they were too short. Ha!

Having fun at the picnic. Future soccer MVP perhaps? I could see it!

On the 4th we started the holiday off with a Starbucks date and then headed home to finish cleaning up. We had a few friends over and bbq'd burgers, Hawaiian style. Friends, my husband can GRILL. Seriously. He is fantastic at it and always knows just how to grill meat so that it's still juicy and tender and never overcooked or dried out. I think he made our best batch of burgers yet. This is our burger recipe:

Ground Beef
Minced Garlic
Garlic Salt
Finely sliced green onions
Yoshida's Marinade (like a teriyaki sauce)

Mash together and then measure out by the 2/3 cup full, makes an average sized burger. We top the burgers off with just a little garlic salt before putting them on the grill. Serve with grilled pineapple that is glazed with Yoshida's, red onions, lettuce, tomato and pepper jack. A-mazing. I didn't take a picture of them but trust me, they're legit. :)

For dessert we did patriotic parfaits. :) Pound cake, fresh whipping cream, strawberries and blueberries. Yummy and festive.

My girl LOVES cheeseburgers. And I love her.

Playing at the water table with Sophia and Miss Rachelle.

It's not an Oregon 4th of July if you don't have your coat on! Actually, it was really nice this day and mild in the evening....I didn't wear a coat but I had a little man in my tummy that keeps my internal thermostat a little on the warmer side.

I got Emersyn's dress on clearance at Gymboree at Christmas time for $5. Score. I loved how long it is too, she can totally wear it again next year!

My little firecracker.

We had such a fun and memorable day! We have gone to *big* fireworks shows for the last few years and it was fun to do them at home. The kids loved it and we had a relaxing time. I can't believe next year I'll have TWO kids to celebrate with!!! :)