Despite rotten weather and sick kids we managed to enjoy our 4th of July with a yummy dinner and front row seats out our window of the fireworks in the cul-de-sac.  The kids were rather excited and handled the fireworks better from the safety of their home.  Peter requested to go to bed and once he was tucked in we took Marie and Oliver out to see the “Grizzly Bear” fireworks go off.  Those are the really big ones that apparently roar like a bear.  Any direction you looked you could see fireworks going off.  It was the first time the kids experienced this phenomenon.  We let Marie stay up until 11pm and she was so tired she couldn’t stop talking!

The next day was predicted to be cold and rainy again so Shane determined to take us over the mountains to Leavenworth for sunshine and warmth.  The drive was worth the warm pine smell that greeted us when we stopped for lunch.  We walked the vendors, showed the kids a taffy pulling machine, went to a nutcracker museum and basically enjoyed a break.  But apparently the local add for 1st of July sales that stated, “It’s July 1st and summer’s almost here” was actually true since our week of sun has suddenly appeared to be this week and not forever in next weeks forecast.  Click here to see more pictures.