Fourth of July

This year we went to Banks (where Marty and Juliet live) for the fourth of July. After not going to the fireworks for four years, we decided that Hunter was old enough to overcome his long-standing fear of fireworks. First, we set off a bunch of kid-friendly fireworks that we had purchased that just sparkled and whistled instead of exploding. Then we walked over to the neighboorhood park to watch the real fireworks show. It took quite a bit of convincing, but as long as Hunter got to sit on Matt's lap, with Matt's hands securly over Hunter's ears, he was willing to watch the fireworks. However, towards the end of the show, Hunter decided the better option was to sit in Kari's lap with a blanket over his head. Like a turtle, he would peak his head out every few minutes and then quickly duck under the blanket again. Then he poked his head out and noticed that there were children playing near the park's gazebo. Suddenly he forgot all his reservations and he begged us to let him to go play by the gazebo with the other children. So for the rest of the show Hunter played and ran around the park. Then he came back and declared that he was a very brave boy and no longer afraid of fireworks. However, when asked if he would like to see the fireworks again next year, he said that by next year he would be afraid of them again.

Meanwhile, Devan was enthralled with all the noise and light coming from the fireworks. He would give a loud, drawn out "Wow!" every time the fireworks went off. So we are happy with the progress we made on all counts.