It's a grand old flag

This year was Josselyn's first 4th of July...

We started off the morning bright and early. We decided that this year we were going to go to the 4th of July parade in Coppell! Although, when our alarm clocks went off at 7:30am we were tempted to  skip the parade, but then we decided that little Josse needed to experience a parade on her very first 4th of July! Growing up some of my best childhood memories were going to the Carmichael 4th of July parade in California with my dad & mom. For some reason my dad LOVED the 4th of July parade (maybe it is becasue he was a Vietnam veteran & he had a great love & respect for his country). Anyways, on the 4th my dad would come home with American flags for us to take to the parade, along with these corny Uncle Sam hat's lol. My brothers & I would put on our red, white & blue and then head off to the parade with our lawn chairs in hand. After the parade, we would go have an all you can eat pancake breakfast at the Carmichael Community Center. It was a fun tradition full of memories that I will always cherish. I am so glad that we decided to take Josselyn to the parade because she absolutely LOVED it. She was all smiles the entire time. It was so cute to watch her scream with excitement as the floats & marching band went by. Some of the people in the parade just so happen to be passing out American flags so I grabbed one & gave it to Josselyn.  She loved her American flag so much that she held on to it for dear life and proudly waved it for the entire parade (she actually carried that flag around most of the day!) After such a fun morning, John & I decide that we were definitely going to make a 4th of July parade one of our annual family traditions. It is amazing how something so simple can bring so much joy to a little child's life. I can not wait to see how excited Josselyn gets to wake up & go to the 4th of July parade every year.

After the parade, we went over to my brother & sister in laws house to have pancake breakfast (The pancakes at Joey & Stacey's house are a lot better then the ones at the Carmichael Community Center haha). It was nice to spend time with Joey, Stacey, John's parents, my mom, my sister and our sweet nieces. After breakfast Josselyn went home with Yaya to take a nap so John & I took advantage of the free time & went to see a matinee movie with some of our friends. After the movie we came home and quickly put on our swim suits. Independence Day is not complete without a dip in the pool. Our little water baby had a blast swimming with Mommy, Daddy, Yaya and all her aunties & uncles. After a couple hours of swimming it was time to fire up the grill. We went to my mom's house and had some friends and family over for a good old fashion 4th of July BBQ. Nothing says 4th of July better than grilled hot dogs & hamburgers (& turkey-burgers)

We ended the day by watching a fabulous fireworks show in my mom's neighborhood. I was a little worried how Josselyn would react to the fireworks but she absolutely loved them! The loud noises did not even phase her. She just stared up at the sky mesmerized by all the lights. It was so relaxing just sitting on a blanket outside on the grass watching fireworks with my family & friends. The only thing that could have made this day any better was if our whole family was there for the celebration. This holiday was darn near perfect & we definitely made some great memories that I will never forget!

As I reflect back on this wonderful Holiday I am overwhelmed by all the blessings in my life. I am thankful for my incredible God, my precious family, wonderful freinds and all the brave men & women in the military who have fought for our FREEDOM so that we can live in the greatest country in the world...AMERICA

 GOD BLESS AMERICA