Independence Day, 2012

 And so THIS is how we will begin the recap of the 4th of July party this year ;)
Niiiice sangria up there... didja get to have some? Also made a peach basil one. It did not come out as intended. But my kind friends drank it up anyway. The best was the peach lemonade. Although labor-intensive, TOTALLY appropriate for a summer get-together.

Oliver actually spelled that out. BY HIMSELF. Pretty good!

Despite earlier predictions of thunderstorms all day, we ended up with perfectly HOT temperatures & sunny skies! And sweaty kids!

 Jim manned the grill all afternoon. I believe he changed clothes twice.
The Bubba Burgers were a hit. HA!

 Evidence that kids are getting older: Graham (above) and Kendall (below).

 Lotsa cornhole playing, of course.
We got smart this year-- we set up a few things in the front yard, and a few things in the back yard, including another tent and more tables and chairs. I think there were at least 50 people who came throughout the day and evening.
Below, the kids engage in their first egg toss! It was interesting-- some tears were shed when the eggs cracked!

 But no tears here! I will say, each year, more adults participate... I think they are just trying to make the hostess happy (it works!)

 Snapped the pic below a bit late... Jeremy actually fell right over this stump-- but still preserved the egg!

This year's winning egg (thrown by Mina and Jason) was allowed a respite in the house before being thrown out by the cleanup crew at the end of the night. (Jim did a slam-bangin' job of cleaning up-- thanks, babe!)

Very nice group shot!

 Alex and Oliver, Maya and Trenton...

I have to say, we had a BLAST this year at the party. (Although not this kind of blast ;)

Thank you all for coming-- the dishes you brought were delicious! And thank you, thank you to the rain for holding off!