This Independence Day was extra special, because it was the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which is amazing. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been born in and be a citizen of this amazing country.

The week leading up to July 4th, we were able to do some fun and wonderful things. One of which was when Lily, Derek and I were able to attend the temple together. Such a blessing!

I was also able to get out and have lunch with some dear friends of mine. It was Debbie’s birthday, and so Shenai, Shannon and I got together and ate, laughed, and caught up on each other’s lives.

Kevin went out of town to visit his parents in Twin Falls for a few days, for a much needed break, and it was a wonderful chance for him to get in some golf with his dad. Unfortunately, he forgot to take pictures with his parents, but he did get one with my mom. So much fun was had, and I am so glad he had that extra time with his parents.

While he was out of town, Pamela came to San Antonio to hang out with us, which was awesome. Since I was at the end of my treatment rotation, and was feeling mostly like a normal person, she and I did some exploring. We went to The Pearl for lunch and visited all the cute shops. It was very fun, and as an interior designer, she really loved getting to see the amazing Hotel Emma, and how they used elements of the brewery to decorate with.

We also decided to made some yummy desserts, starting off with a peach and strawberry poke cake, and then making Mississippi Mud Bars (minus the nuts). They were way too yummy.

On the actual 4th of July, there was a special pancake breakfast for our ward, which was fun. The kids really loved it. We left early though, because we had something else planned.

The five of us went to see a showing of the movie, “Young Washington,” which was amazing. So good! (And even cooler, was that, because Pamela had two free tickets, and Lily, Derek and I were able to use a special 4th of July deal to get $5 tickets. And because I had points with the theater, I even got us a free large popcorn. Awesome!)

Later on, we had a special lunch/dinner of BBQ ribs, mac & cheese, and corn on the cob. It was perfect for the holiday. And while I was preparing it, the kids all watched the musical “1776,” which is always a good time.

Later on, the three of them went swimming in the swim spa, but not before Arthur had me apply the temporary tattoo he got that morning at the party. Good times!

We had a great afternoon/evening, and then when it finally got dark, Pamela and I walked over to the temple to see if we had a good view of fireworks, and we totally did! Too bad the kids were too boring to join us 😉.

On Sunday night, very, very late (more like Monday morning), Kevin got home from his trip. Multiple delays and hours of sitting on the plane led to his not getting home until around 3:30am. Poor him! Pamela flew back to Nashville that Monday morning, and we were all sad to see her go.

Arthur took advantage of having his dad and I around to watch a fun movie with him, and even though the picture is blurry, I had to get evidence of the fun fort he created for watching the movie. Nice!

Later that week, Lily and I went to go walking at the park and I found a family of deer. It was so cool, even though I felt bad for scaring them. Lily had been going around the other direction, but she was still able to catch a glimpse of them before they disappeared.

Something that the kids have been doing this summer, is that both Lily and Derek have been reading a book with Arthur. I had to snap this sweet picture of my boys reading “Wonder.” So sweet!

And then on Friday, it just happened to be “National French Fry Day,” and so we celebrated with fries and food from Chick-fil-A, which was delicious!

It has definitely been a fun way to welcome in the month of July.