independence day

after church today, i got copies of all of the pictures that emily so graciously took for me on the 4th. i think that the fourth of july is one of my all time favorite holidays to spend in st augustine. there is just something so wonderful about grilling out at the rohde house and then walking to the fort to play in the grass and wait for dark so that the fireworks will begin. this is my second year enjoying a coquina independence day, and i love it.


this time around, sarah and i planned a few fun things for the kids to do while we awaited the beginning of the fireworks. gabe had a great time hanging out with judith while steve and sarah and i played with the older kids.


we started out doing a variety of races (dubbed by bethany raab "the cheetah show"). there was a sack race and a dizzy bat race. steve raced with the kids, and they had a really good time.


then, we played with bubbles that i got at wal-mart. they came with super big wands and are too fun! i think that patty and i had more fun than the kids making bubbles. gabe didnt even seem to notice them, but that didnt keep me from trying. by next year's celebration, he will be a huge fan, i'm sure! the best part was the the bubbles traveled all over the fort lawn, and all of the people behind us got to enjoy them as well.


when the fireworks finally began, i was shocked to find that gabe was still awake. he was certainly awed by them and watched almost the entire time with his mouth wide open.

it was such a great night, and gabe was such a trooper. i look forward to spending many more fourths here with our incredible church family.