Equal Parts: Friends, Family, Fireworks, Fun

I love the 4th of July.

Really, what's not to like?
Family and Friends.
Food (BBQ is a MUST).
Fireworks up the wazoo!
Fun times.
Freedom.

We started our Independence Day celebrations with our traditional Eugene Em's baseball game and Fireworks display. The Em's were, once again, away for the 4th so we went to the home game on the 3rd. We picked up my sisters and then met up with our good friend Rodney. He was nice enough to save us primo seats on the 3rd baseline since I didn't get off work until after 5pm (game started at 6:35pm). It was close, but we made it with about 5 minutes to spare before the National Anthem. The Em's were ahead, 3-2 at the bottom of the 7th inning, but Everett came back at the top of the 9th to score 2 runs and take the lead. The Em's were scoreless in that final inning and lost 4-3. Bummer.
After the game we headed do to the field to watch the fireworks. A fantastic show as always!! That's pretty much the real reason I go. I like watching the baseball game, but having to get there early and stay the entire game and deal with an antsy toddler in the heat is not really my idea of fun. The fireworks make up for it.What was supposed to be a nice picture of Ethan and I watching the fireworks. Uhhh.... Check out everyone behind us making faces. Even the guy behind Lizzy's head!

The next day, on the 4th, we started our day by sleeping in!! Oh, heaven. Then we met over at my family's house for BBQ with all the fam that was in town... Toftdahl grandparents, g-ma Mary, auntie Kay, Tengans and Gary and Linda. And talk about yummy food. We had quite the spread, I must say. Main dish was fried chicken (yuck for me, yum for Sean) and bbq hot dogs. You can guess which one I chose. Then of course potato salad, fruit, chips and desserts. I, myself, brought blondies, mississippi mud brownies and a lemon pie but opted for Linda's marionberry pie because that is one of my favs and I am not a pie-maker! Baker, yes. Pastry chef, no. It was great to chat with everyone and a little weird to be the only ones there with a little one in tow since none of the Graham boys and their families were there (we missed you... and not that we expected Nick and Christi to show up from Vegas). But oh-so-nice to kick back and relax and bask in the glory of living in a free country and not having to be at work.
I don't remember what he was so upset about here, but see, it's not all rainbows and bunnies at this house. We have our moments. The main thing is to check out his cute $3 Wal-Mart special of a flag shirt!

Ah, happy again and enjoying some watermelon. He eats that stuff like it's going out of style!

Sean, Ethan and I were the last to leave, but since it was a BBQ lunch we were unsure of how to spend the evening. We decided to rent a redbox movie and also stopped for some snacks (hello, there was absolutely no microwave popcorn or soda in the house!). I don't remember what we did when we first got home, but eventually we decided to go looking for Uncle Tory around the corner at his usual 4th of July stomping grounds. Boy do we wish we'd gone sooner! What a show his neighbors put on!! Bucked up for the big illegals from WA so we got to sit and watch more fireworks to end our day. Awesome. We headed home sometime close to 11pm (waaaaay past Ethan's bedtime) and practically fell into bed.

Happy 4th!