This holiday is always a whirlwind of activity where we shuffle about from one family to the next and just try not to blow any fingers off. Well, we have one more successful year under our belts! Isaiah didn't really get much of a nap in the morning, but he was more than ready to run around and play once we reached Grandma's house. He was less enthusiastic about eating anything besides bread and ice cream for lunch, but that's life! He got to see the farm's cows, blew bubbles, and spent a good deal of time throwing pebbles from the driveway into a bucket of water. Good times.
Thankfully, we did manage to get him to lay down for a solid two hour nap in the afternoon over at the Kooiman's. Thank God for that! After he woke up, we were off to the Glewen Weenie Roast where there are something like 85 boys running around, all within a year or so of Isaiah's age. Ok, so that's exaggerating a bit, but there are a LOT of kids and a LOT of stuff to explore. 
He loved climbing the rock wall, going down the slide (upside down and backwards I might add), exploring the kiddie playhouse, running around the yard, and attempting to carjack Winton out of the Little Tikes car. Yup, not making this up. He literally pushed Winton out onto the grass, opened the door and then tried to yank him out by his shirt. Good thing that kid has four older brothers and is used to that kind of abuse or my kid may have scarred him for life! 
It was really nice for me, as a mom, to be able to see Isaiah among so many other little guys his age. It reminded me that he really is a "normal" kid and that meltdowns and tantrums are pretty standard fare for this age. Plus, that side of the family is really a lot of fun!Our marathon day still had one more destination: The Hoinacki Fireworks! The venue was different this year as we moved our festivities to Diane's new residence, a.k.a. Jared's former residence. I was immediately jealous of the property there: the backyard, the garden, and the PLAYSET!!! This thing was amazing! Evan, can you make me one of these someday??
We took our one attempt at a family photo, but Isaiah was far too interested in running around with the kids to want to stop and pose, so it's not exactly archive quality, but it says a lot about what kind of day it was! 
Apart from the scary moment where one of the fireworks misfired into the crowd (nobody was hurt, thank goodness), the fireworks were incredible, as usual. Isaiah really didn't get freaked out by the booms at all. He enjoyed watching them, but was also super-tired. He eventually fell asleep in his Aunt Erica's arms and was more than ready to head home once the festivities were over. Recovery from Saturday has been a challenge, as he's been a crabby, whiny little buggar, but it's worth it. I love the 4th of July!!
