the living is easy.

back yard swimming.

juicy watermelon.

my first cup of mint tea this season.

i won't even let the huge pile of laundry waiting to be folded ruin this summer day.

serena visits the zoo.

her favorites:

monkeys. {she has recently learned to make monkey noises, so they were a hit}

the big red ball in the elephant habitat. not so much the actual elephants. not enough excitement for her taste, i guess.

the big kitty {cheetah} that paced in front of the window and looked like he wanted to eat her.

watching the carousel, which we didn't actually ride :)

the train ride.

it was a good time. thanks to mom & annette for the good company! {and help pushing the stroller up the hills...}

p.s. serena's hair is getting to that awkward mullet stage, so that's why she always looks like an orphan. i really do try to make it look pretty.

red, white & blue.

we didn't do much in the way of celebrating today, so i brought my camera along to my parents house and hunted for all things red, white & blue. this is what i found. sean didn't even mind pulling off the road a couple of times for me to snap a picture. it would have been a lot easier to find orange... with all of the road construction :)

hope you are all enjoying your weekend! we still have one full day of celebrating to go. it's not so bad when the 4th of july falls on a sunday after all!

five years ago.

five years ago today, sean proposed to me at this pretty bridge after fireworks. it was a very happy fourth of july. it's always been my favorite holiday, and i have another good reason to celebrate the day.

we've had lots of adventures since then. mostly good ones :)

love you, sean!

my favorite holiday.

started off the day with a 5k run {walk}.

and then a festive breakfast with my family. red, white & blue stuffed crepes.

took naps.

went to a movie.

had dinner.

went up to eaglewood for fireworks. oh my, it was crazy up there! it was our first time and it was a party for sure! i succumbed to carnival food, as usual, and had myself a tigers blood shaved ice. i would have had a churro too if i had brought enough cash :)

kids played with glow sticks and swords and whatnot.

serena did surprisingly well. we had to give her a nap at 6:00 to make sure she could stay up til 11:00. she was kind of all over the place and plowing through peoples food and games, but once the fireworks started, she sat still and watched on daddy's lap.

best part of the day.

{the blurry pictures always look like sea creatures.}