4th of July

Here are some pictures from our fourth of July in Terceira. Last year, we were in Germany, waiting for Abigail's arrival. The year before, we were in South Florida, preparing to move to Turkey. I remember it poured rain and there ended up being no fireworks to see. This was a perfect holiday! What a fantastic day we had.

Here is the view from Nick and Kristy's house. It was a bit windy and the rain was off and on, but it stopped in time for a great fireworks show!

We had an impromptu barbeque over at Nick & Kristy's. Here we all are (with Nick behind the camera.)

Our family -- July of 2012. Our first month on the island.

Abigail was just starting to feel better -- although her rash was in full force. Here she is in a happy moment.

Nick, Kristy, Jonah and Noah (with flag). This is a great family that we have had the pleasure to be stationed at Eglin, Turkey, and now the Azores with. They have helped make our transition SOOOO much better. Noah will be four in August making him nearly right inbeween my boys. Jonah is 21 months.

Abigail's two favorite things in one picture: bikes and balls. She still isn't walking yet. Just taking a few steps when she feels like it.

After lunch, we went back to our house for naps. And then, at about 6:30pm, we reconnected on the Base for some fun! They had a ton of really cool jumpy houses set up for the kids. They had a fantastic time playing in them.

Here we are during a break in the action. At about 8:30pm, the boys got really tired and decided to "rest." But by 9pm they were up and at 'em for another round of jumpy castles. I am talking to my friend Pam who was also in Turkey with us. She got here a month before us. She's been incredibly helpful in showing us around and giving us tips on our new life.

As it got closer to 10pm, we tried to have Abigail go to sleep with us -- but there was just too much going on. She was, however, in pretty good spirits for being up so far past her bedtime.

I splurged! Yes, cheap ol' Wendi bought the boys a glow light. And unfortunately, the other parents in our "gang" had no choice but to give in to their childrens' requests at that point too. This is our new friend Louis, a native of the island with one of his sons.

And then it was time for fireworks. There I am on the lawn chair with my girl. And there JB is snuggling with his boys. So thankful to Kristy for capturing these photos!

Just part of the celebration. It was truly one of the best firework shows I have EVER seen. Pretty amazing for a remote island!

Here is my favorite picture from the festivities. Abigail during dinner. We joked that she was RED (her rash), WHITE (her hair), and BLUE (her eyes.)

And here is my other favorite photo of me and my best friend forever celebrating the Fourth of July.