The 4th of July!

One of my dad's favorite holidays is the 4th of July. So I grew up with the 4th of July being a major holiday that included lots of fireworks and a big BBQ. In Utah, however, very few fireworks are legal. So, this year I thought it was time for my kids to celebrate the 4th of July Grandpa-style!
Grandpa started them slow. He let Cole help him check out the some of the launchers and make sure they were ready to go.
Then, he took them to a fireworks tent and let them pick out some stuff that they thought looked like fun.
"Let's see here, should we get tanks, race cars, or boats. Ok, how about all of them!"
Cole and Emily hit the jackpot and they didn't even know it. While all of the fireworks that they got here would be a full 4th of July for most people, this was just the beginning for Grandpa.
Once they got home, Grandpa started them off with smoke bombs and parachutes. No kid can resist those, right?
Emily jumped right in without a problem!
She even wanted to throw her own smoke bombs.And hold her own smoke canister.
Cole, on the other hand, was still a little apprehensive!
(Does his smile look a little forced here?)He did decide chasing parachutes was actually fun.

And he loved to have tank wars.
After all of that work, Grandpa finally won Cole over.
He was ready for the big show! (These are the 16,000 or so firecrackers that they light at the beginning of the show.)
They tried to build a tower to hang all of the firecrackers on so they didn't set the grass on fire. However, that became a little more difficult then expected! How many intelligent, successful men does it take to construct a fireworks tower?
More than you think!
I'm not sure how I missed a picture of Addy in her 4th of July outfit, but Em looked pretty cute.
The fireworks that night were beautiful and fun. Grandpa did a great job as always orchestrating a wonderful show!
I think in the end, the 4th of July in KC was a success. The kids ended up being ok with the fireworks, even the louder ones. Hopefully these types of pictures are a thing of the past!
I guess we'll see next year!