Summertime... and the living is easy (ish)

So I haven't seen a fireworks display in seven years, which is too bad, because I enjoy a good fireworks display.  My children have hyper-sensitive hearing.  They hide when the garbage truck comes around, so you can imagine that fireworks do not go over well.  This is strange to me, because on a daily basis they all make noise that puts a fireworks display to shame and are yet seemingly unbothered.  (It bothers me, however.  I'm just saying.)

Every year we go to our friends' house for the 4th.  They live across the street from the park where their small town sets off what I hear is a really terrific fireworks display. Each year we have dinner, hang out, wait until dusk, and inevitably leave right before the fireworks start because one of the children panics and goes into hysterics.  So, we drive home, which isn't so terrible because we catch glimpses of various displays as we travel through each little town down route 31.

Summer is going by too fast.  So far: countless baseball games, 2 bee stings, 1 near death by drowning in a kiddie pool, 1 month of extremely frizzy hair, 1 graduation, 1 very good end-of-year report card, approximately 100 mosquito bites, 4 stubbed toes,  20sh barbecues, 0 road trips.  We will rectify the 0 road trips this Friday. 

A review in pictures:

The Graduate

One word:  Plastics.

 After Caleb's piano recital.

He's my sweet baboo.

Ben opened his gifts shirtless this year.  Well why not.  He's five now.

  There is nothing Ella loves more in the world than her aunt Joyce.  Except perhaps decorating herself with markers.

That's the last time I show her any Batman films. 

Hop on Pop.

We went to a parade.  Ben was unhappy with the loud noises.  Which is also why I haven't seen any fireworks in five years.  That's my friend Kim.  She's a sport.

We ventured off to Browns Berry Patch :

Ben is more interested in guarding the berries than picking them.  His little friend Ryan is Ella's fiance.  Yes, really.  And I will fight anyone who gets in the way of my plan.

Note the "Silly Bandz."  I hate those things.

My sweet baboo.  Did I mention he made the Chili All Star baseball team?

Ella, who still occasionally eats her oatmeal with two fists, is surprisingly adept at raspberry picking.

Our now annual 4th of July family pic at the Casa de Fisk. 

(Thank you Katie for these pictures.  I'm having an extremely bad camera year.)