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Monday, July 4, 2022

Boom Boom Extravaganza!

 My niece Katelyn, and her husband Nathan, have had a July 4th party for the last few years.  We haven't been able to go because you may remember what my work schedule was like before I got this new job.  However, this year we made it!  We were so glad we could go and really enjoyed ourselves.
There were lots of people there, both Nathans family and Katelyns.  Laura and Aaron were there with the girls, our son Andy and his wife Nikki had come up from KY to see my Dad, so they were able to be there too.  Heather, Andrew and Cassie were coming and were almost there when Cassie got sick in the car, so they had to turn around and go home.
Katelyn and Nathan live about an hour from us, so my Dad wasn't going to go, as it was going to be a long night along with the long drive.  But Dad really wanted to be there with the family, so my brother picked him and Ann up and he made it through the night and greatly enjoyed himself.  All of the family was there except a few nieces and nephews who couldn't make it - such a blessing to be together and for him to enjoy it.
Here's some (a bunch!) pictures from the evening.

They live out in the country with a big yard and fields around them, so it was perfect for all the people and activities.



They did so much work!  There were numerous stations set up in the house and around the yard with fun things, all in a patriotic theme.  This was a snack and candy station.



Here's part of the goody section, fruit pizza, cookies, berry bars, cupcakes, fruits and dip.  No one was left hungry!




They had games.  Here's the kids tossing water balloons till they broke.




They had a tattoo station with all kinds of patriotic tattoos.  The girls had fun with them.



They put this one on Bob, and when he went to bed, he found out it glowed in the dark!  



Here's our esteemed hosts, Katelyn and Nathan.  As you can see, Katelyn participated in the water balloon game!




They had fun fans and glasses too.




S'more making!  Alaina was trying to roast her marshmallow from a distance because the smoke kept blowing on her.



These are fireworks set up for later.




I enjoyed wandering around the property, there are so many pretty views.




Meanwhile, Dad was sitting under a canopy, enjoying the food and company.  He was exhausted the next day, but he said it was worth it.




Ruby loves little kids.  Here she was helping one of Nathans nieces with water balloons.




They had kid friendly poppers and sparklers, along with some small fireworks for the kids to enjoy.





Alaina with her sparkler.





Kids having so much fun!



Fun colored smoke bombs and sparkling spinners.





Soon it was time for the fireworks.

They gave us prism glasses to wear to enhance the fireworks.



The girls had glasses and glow bracelets.



Nathan gave a nice little talk about our country and our God and then the fireworks started.

They were so good!  Plus Nathan had them set to music.  I've never experienced that before and it was so good.



There was a glitch at the end.  One of the fireworks failed and went off, setting of a bunch of other ones, so the grand finale got messed up.  It was a bummer for Nathan, who had put so much work into it. but everyone there said they had such a good time even with that glitch.
We sure had fun and so appreciate all the work that went into this.



It was such a nice weekend!  We enjoyed time with Andy and Nikki.  I made them take this pic right before they left Sunday night to drive home.





We had a quiet July 4th, but grilled hamburgers with Heather, Andrew and Cassie for supper.  The perfect end to a lovely weekend!

19 comments:

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hi Mari. Happy July 4th to you! What a lovely family party. Thanks for sharing. Have a great week! :-)

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a beautiful place for a party, anf I am so glad your Dad got to attend. I love how they thought to put danger tape around the fireworks. And the food tables are so festive!! Looks like a huge fun success!

Hootin Anni said...

Wow!!! This was all so incredible!! When it comes to making s'mores, you know what they say..."smoke follows beauty"!!

DUTA said...

At this kind of party, usually food and the kids stand out. This time, I believe all eyes were on your remarkable father who made an effort to be with his loving family and enjoy the occasion as much as possible.

Dianna said...

What a lovely family celebration of our country's independence, Mari. Your niece and nephew really put a lot of time and thought, not to mention effort, into the event. I've never experienced fireworks set to music, but it sounds amazing. Sorry to hear that Cassie got sick. She sure is a cutie. The best part is that your dad was able to go and enjoyed himself. What a gift!

Jeanette said...

Wow Mari! Looks like a fantastic party and wonderful hosts! I'm glad your dad was able to be there, too! Love the pics and Nathans shirt!

Changes in the wind said...

What a perfect place for a outing and they did such a great job setting it all up. So glad your Dad was able to attend and enjoyed it.

Susan~aredheadonthego said...

Mari I just loved this post. It was so great to see your Dad there. I’m sure he was drinking it all in. Nice to hear that Nathan spoke about God and our country. Thanks so much for sharing . So glad you can enjoy these events with your new job!

Terri D said...

It is so great that you and Bob got to go this year! What great hosts you had! A great time for everyone, including your dad and step-mom!! Wonderful memories made for them and all of you. The girls are all so sweet and pretty. Cassie is a little lady already! Thanks for sharing the fun, Mari!

Susan said...

Hi Mari, I enjoyed all the pictures. What a wonderful celebration! I like that snack station. Lots of special memories made and you got to be there! Enjoy your week!

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

You have such a fun family! What a party your niece and her hubby put on. Just wow! It looks like it was wonderful. And so awesome your Dad was able to go too!! ❤️

Kim said...

Looks like a great day, Mari. I was laughing at the idea of Bob's tattoo lighting up as he got into bed. That must've been funny!!

Tracy dixon said...

Looks like everyone had so much fun

Suemn said...

Wow! It looks like a wonderful Fourth of July get-together! I can tell a LOT of work went into planning this party:) It's so nice that both your dad and step-mom were able to attend the party and enjoy seeing you all.

Debi said...

What a lovely party! We have hosted 4th of July here for the past 39 years so I know how much work goes into it. Katelyn and Nathan did an amazing job!

Jenny the Pirate said...

Now THAT is a Fourth of July party! WOW Nathan is my kind of guy! And Katelyn sounds pretty special too. That candy table! Dagny would have been delirious with joy! I'm so glad that your dad and Ann were able to go. That is just so special. But poor Cassie! Looks like she recovered nicely. Precious family times! xoxo

Katelyn R. said...

It was a fun time for sure :) <3 and I totally forgot the tatoos glowed in the dark- hahaha!!!

Laura said...

It was such a great time and lots of great memories!

Sally said...

Oh Mari, this makes me miss our family reunions! I'm so glad y'all had a wonderful day enjoying time with your loved ones. God bless y'all and God bless America!
xoxo