Happy Independence Day!

Don't you think this holiday should be referred to exclusively as Independence Day?  It might help us remember a little more of its pretty cool origins.  I mean, we don't celebrate "December 25th," do we?  Anyway, I hope everyone had a fun Independence Day!!  We sure did.
I got up before anyone else was awake (these late summer nights lend themselves nicely to some quiet, peaceful mornings around here!), and ran to Walmart for some groceries.  Back home, I made a 4th of July brunch of bacon (a serious treat at our house), pancakes, and whipped cream, blueberries, and strawberries.  The boys were especially excited about the whipped cream (from a can! also a serious treat at our house).  :-)
Afterward, we went outside to put up our American flags and pose for the yearly obligatory 4th of July pictures.  I managed to offend 2 of my 3 boys during this process.  Maybe next year I'll get all three...  Are the pictures worth it?  I think so.  Being mad at mom lasts a little while, but a picture is forever.  :-)

(Joseph and Mosey are in serious need of a haircut)

Joseph requested that his picture be taken with our Texas flag.  It's red, white, and blue, so close enough, right?  And we are pretty patriotic Texans. :-)

This picture was taken before I really offended Mosey.  I should have just stopped with this one and saved him the aggravation, because it is definitely my favorite of the bunch.  Sorry Mosey!

Anyway, after the picture-taking ordeal, we headed down to Lady Bird Lake to go kayaking.  A couple of my boys were lobbying for the liberty of unrestricted computer-game-playing (hey, it *is* Independence Day!), but I was adamant-- we are doing something *real* today!!  And it was a great success.  Mosey, my main computer-game-playing-supplicant, told Ben and me over and over again how he wanted to buy a kayak so he could go kayaking way more often.  :-)  We rowed almost all the way up to the dam, to where the current got a bit too strong (this is one of several lakes damming up the Colorado River, so the dam was actually the one holding back Lake Austin and releasing water into Lady Bird Lake).  Ben and the boys stopped at one point at what we thought was an island (turned out to be a long peninsula) to swim to shore and take several jumps from a rope swing into the water.  Overall, it was great fun.  Next time I'm going to put my little camera in a waterproof bag so I can take a few pictures along the way.  That part of the lake is incredibly beautiful with sheer limestone cliffs rising up out of the towering, almost tropical trees and lush greenery lining the shores.

Back at home, we had a barbecue, and went swimming.  We discussed the Declaration of Independence and our favorite Founding Fathers, and enjoyed the fairly mild weather we've been having the past several days.  We were pretty beat from kayaking all afternoon and decided to forego making the trek downtown, braving the traffic and the crowds to listen to the symphony and watch fireworks.  Instead we watched Lost, drank root beer floats, and then drove up to watch the Cedar Park fireworks from the roof of the van.  Not as exciting, and the music was definitely not as good, but you can't beat the 5 minute drive to and from!

My fireworks pictures left a lot to be desired this year.  Oh well.

And, that was it!  A good day.