Happy Third of July!

If you are any sort of follower of my blog, you'd know by now that the Third of July is the day we actually put in the most effort to celebrate.  It's been many, many years in a row that we've invited the Whites, Quigleys, Schillings, and Meyers to celebrate with us with a big ol' bar-b-q and lighting fireworks on the street.

Here are some of the food offering with a couple of shout-outs to Pinterest.  I found some specialty USA marshmallows on clearance at Target from Kraft that had pink, light blue, and white star-shaped marshmallows.  I wasn't in to the pink and light blue ones - but the white ones were perfect for these fruit skewers.

Also a hit idea from Pinterest - putting hamburger/hot dog condiments in large muffin tins.  I think it sped up the food-doctoring process.

Finally, a few more treat ideas.  I'll eventually link these to the recipes.  In the back is Buck-Eye Brownies, in the forefront is Orange Creamsicle Cookies, and to the right is Churro Chex Mix.  That last one was definitely the big hit of the night.  While I thought it all turned out fairly well, the Marionberry Pie from Willamette Valley Fruit Company was my fave.  I think it's also hard to beat the tried and true Rice Krispie Treats and Chocolate Chip Cookies that was on last year's menu.  But, hey, when else do I get to have so much fun experimenting? =)

This is the first year in a long time that we've been able to get everyone together.  It seems like this event has been plagued in the past with someone being sick or family's having alternative plans.  The kids opted to use the trampoline as their table:

While our Harlow CAP crew - Phineas, Ferb, and Perry (who have a one day break from their duties on the Fourth) took the back patio.  Andrew was showing off the Perry hat we got for his birthday in honor of his Harlow alias name.

On to the adults:

On to some game-playing:

The dads played a game of "Bump" with the boys:

The girls did a little bit of cheerleading:

Michael Chase stopped by as Tuesdays are his usual hang-out time with John.  He and Jackson did a little bonding-

Finally, with twilight comes time for the fireworks.

Our Third of July celebration is a little bit like hyping up Christmas Eve festivities in preparation for Christmas.  So, maybe we should call it "Fourth of July Eve"?   No matter what the title, it was really a special time.  With all of these families having kids that go to different schools, the time crossing paths is all too few and far between.  I'm glad this tradition has stuck and these families have stuck together, even when it only happens once a year!