What a Wonderful Country!!

Somehow we didn't do anything that we normally do for the Fourth. (Unless you count fireworks.) Often we will go to Freedom Fest or maybe go see the Hot Air Balloons, but it just didn't happen. Regardless, I think we had a good time.

Wednesday is field trip day and I decided we could still go somewhere, but just take Dad along for the ride. The girls thought this was great, so we made a trip to the Aquarium today.

We had the GoPro again and really dim lighting. (You know how it is at an Aquarium. Kind of dark.) So, these are the two pictures you get.

This is the stuff we liked:

*The Manta Rays (Most of us touched one, Pearl refrained as usual.)
*Seahorses- we loved the teeny ones.
*The Octopus- Coolest Octopus EVER. Usually they just sit there, but this one was huge and crawling up and down the side of the glass. I watched so long that Daisy finally asked if we could go home.
*The Caiman- Basically a mini Crocodile and Daisy loves Crocodiles.
*The Piranha- They had no teeth. That is odd.
*Tarantulas- They had the giant one that eats BIRDS!! Yuck.
*Jellyfish- Just awesome in general.
*The Otters- Very active and fun which made up for not seeing any at the zoo.
*Sharks and a Giant Sea Turtle- They were in the same tank, with a diver no less. You don't often see them working in the tank.
*Huge Boa Constrictor- It didn't do anything but you have to admire how big it is.
*The Penguins- I was impressed until one pooped in the water. Then it didn't seem as magical.
*Madagascar Hissing Cockroach- We all touched one that was being held by an attendant. And it wasn't hissing. Bonus.

It was a fun trip, albeit expensive. It bugs me just a bit when fun, educational places cost an arm and a leg to get in. Okay, maybe just an arm, but still...

We came home from there and spent a very lazy afternoon. Five of us got a nap at some point. Yes, I was one of the lucky ones. June and Robyn built an entire Pet Shop school that I will have to post about later. (Very creative.) Most of us didn't wake up until almost six. It is a good thing that we didn't have anywhere to be until late.

Dinner was fabulous. Yummy strawberries.

And the best grilled chicken in the state. Tyler sure cooks a mean chicken.

We ate outside and it was a nice evening with just our bunch.

We even saw a dragonfly chilling in the garden. You have to take a picture when they pose like that.

Finally as it got darker we met a lot of neighbors outside for fireworks. We brought most of the pyrotechnics and I bought mostly aerials this year. Everyone has a great time, with only a few mishaps.

Pearl managed to touch the sparkler after it had gone out, not knowing it would still be hot. Ouch.

Ivory burnt just a bit of her thumb as well.

Someone walked their Sparkler into June's arm, and she has a pretty nasty burn there.

Not so great people. 3 out of 5 children came home with a burn.

And then one of our aerial fireworks turned on its side and shot out some bursts into our group. That was REALLY exciting for a minute. Luckily no one was hurt.

And we were trying to be very safe. After all, Utah is very dry right now, and since so many places are on fire, we don't want to add to the trouble.

In fact, I am grateful for all the firefighters who are working non-stop here to save homes and people. Even from our neighborhood tonight, you could see the flames glowing in the mountains. Most of those fires are barely contained, if at all.

We have such an amazing country and those who work hard to protect it are amazing people in my book. It was a great Independence Day for my family and I hope we can remember those who make it possible.