Saturday, July 4, 2009

celebrations

Ainsleigh has been counting down the days to the Fourth of July like it was Christmas. Or her birthday. Or Halloween. Every day, "I canNOT wait for the Fourth of July. I wish it was here already!" Um, really? I mean, I like any excuse to overindulge in just about any food, but it's not like I can't sleep for the anticipation. But that's where my kids, and Ainsleigh especially, differ than the norm (well, one of the ways). You could wish Ainsleigh a heartfelt 'Happy President's day,' and she accepts it with same reverence and appreciation she does her birthday wishes. I guess I need to stop being so cynical and start appreciating things, because I found myself berating my children, "It's not that big of a deal, guys." Even Donovan pointed out, "We're going to see fireworks at Disneyworld." Yeah, she replied, but this is the Fourth of JULY. I suppose she could teach us all a lesson in patriotism.

So, in order to ramp up my own excitement, I decided that I shall eat pie for every meal. I'm a true patriot. Check it out - I even topped my banana cream pie with slices of strawberries and blueberries. I guess that turns it more into a fruit cream pie, but whatever. It's FESTIVE.

I stopped off at one of the giant white tents boasting FIREWORKS yesterday. I have a vague recollection of tagging along with my dad when they were still legal in my hometown. And even though they were technically legit, these fly-by-night stands had an aura of weirdness about them. I wonder if my dad took us to give credence to his presence - not just some dude going to go buy a set of hazardous pyrotechnics. I think you had to whisper (I might not be remembering correctly) your desires through a screen and then your order would appear. It was all very weird but the results were awesome, so that's all that matters. I remember watching a Piccolo Pete go askew and fly under a parked car and praying that the car would not blow up. Such is the mind of a 7-year old.

So there I was, walking through the tent here, and maybe it's just where I live (which...even our mall food court is swanky, complete with lounge area and giant cracking fireplace), but inside were the assortment of potentially dangerous flammables along with a crew of quite clean cut, attractive teenagers, offering help in picking out the best products for your crew. I was grateful to the boy helping me who pointed out which of my selections would terrify my children and which were "kinda lame" and then which ones I should stock up on.

Last night we lit a few and Donovan had the best reactions - wonder, admiration, pride and a little fear. "That.Was.AWWWWWWWWESOME!" The kids working the tent urged us to return on the 5th and 6th "for even better deals for birthdays, the new year, or whenever." I'm thinking we may need to start a birthday/fireworks tradition.

We're enjoying lovely weather, happy kids, and promises of more excitement throughout the day. But first, PIE!

1 comments:

Alice said...

I LOVE THE 4TH OF JULY! I LOVE FIREWORKS. I'm with Ainsleigh on that one.