Happy Belated 4th of July! The 4th of July is one of my favorite celebrations - the meaning of the holiday and the festivities that go along with it. I remember as a kid celebrating the 4th every year with fireworks in the street with friends & neighbors, sparklers, an amazing dip our Irish neighbors used to make, giggles, anticipation and sometimes ear protection. Those memories make me want to keep the fun festive traditions going for my family. And my husband....he's a kid when it come to fireworks (a safe, mature kid, but a big kid none-the-less). I'm sooooo glad he loves fireworks and the festivities of the holiday as much as I do. This year we were very last minute with our plans since we couldn't decide what to do - stay local or go somewhere. I wanted to stay local to start a tradition - and I'm so glad we did. Our friends who live right down the street came over - we love their company and the kids get a long great. We smoked some ribs, grilled burgers and had lots of yummy food and way too much desert - but it was worth indulging. :) And the 4th isn't the same without fireworks. Arizona has pretty strict laws when it comes to fireworks so we bought lots that we 'think' were legal (jury's still out). The loud whistling, the pops, the color and the smokey smell made it the 4th ;o) Then we topped the evening off with with some night swimming! We had a fun 2011 4th with friends, swimming, high temperatures and memories made. I hope my kids love the 4th and these memories made.

And like I've said before, I have some of the best neighbors!! Look what fun festivities that were made for the kids. They loved them!! Below is a puzzle they had to solve and the image at the bottom is Trivia Popper Rockets. How fun is that?! They also included star shaped notepads, red & white candy, a Red-White-Blue bracelet the kids can make and some flags. So creative & thoughtful!!!