Fireworks!

You know you have become a parent when you stop enjoying the fireworks show because you're too engrossed in watching your children's reactions to the fireworks show. Even Ava watched with awe and wonder (after Daddy comforted her from the initial shock). She even appropriately used her brand new sign for "more" when it was over!!! I am so proud of her, she is communicating! Apparently my camera doesn't work for night shots.



Silly me. I am pretending to be watching the fireworks so I can take a photo of what I thought was Hope's mesmerized expression watching the beautiful display. Apparently she was posing instead.

I'm not sure what was more entertaining, the fireworks or the family sitting next to us. They had 3 kids, ages 4 (about 60 pounds), 3 (about 50 pounds), and 7 months. They were all 3 in diapers....I mean JUST diapers. Only in Oklahoma. There was an endless supply of Cracker Jacks and Kool-Aid. Even the baby was drinking red kool-aid in his/her bottle (hard to tell gender in just a diaper. I know the names of the older two because all we heard for 2 hours was, "Joseph, get over here right now!! I mean it Joseph. Matthew, stop it! I said stop it! Do you want to go home? Do you want a spanking Joseph? Do you want me to take you to the van Matthew? I mean it, we'll go to the van! We won't come back here next year, Joseph! I'll spank your bottom Matthew!" Eventually she DID take them, I assumed to the van, like she had been threatening to do all evening. Instead she came back with balloons and glow-in-the-dark necklaces. At one point I told Joseph that he better be good and mind his mama 'cause I wanted him to stay and watch the fireworks with me. To which the mother replied, "He doesn't know the meaning of the words 'be good'. All this took place while the husband sat in the lawn chair smoking his cigarettes. John leaned over and whispered, "I think they could benefit from some parenting books." Even the kids laughed all the way home, and kept repeating, "JOSEPH!!!" I wanted to sneak a video but I was afraid I was going to get caught.

I LOVED this next photo. I wish you could see the way Ava touches her daddy's back and neck with affection when she rides on his back. He is such a great guy. I want to say that he took all 5 kids plus one extra to Sonic, the park and Bass Pro Shop on Friday night while we had one last girls' night out before Kirsten moves to Washington. I really think he deserves some kind of medal for that. I can only imagine what the people at Bass Pro Shop thought as he walked in with 6 kids. What a Dad.