4th of July and a Birthday

This year's 4th of July was one of the best ones we've ever had. We attended the 4th of July parade, got a TON of candy (which the girls thought was AWESOME!), and then went to the concert in the park that evening. Summer got to go up on stage with our neighbor friend and they danced to the music. It was a lot of fun. And since Liberty Lake shoots its fireworks from the lake, and because we live right next to the lake, we were able to sit on our back porch and watch them. We had a great view, and the girls loved it. (Well, Claire did. Summer was a little nervous the "fire" was going to fall on us and start us on fire.) It was so great getting to spend the holiday with our little family!
We were able to celebrate Summer's three-year birthday a few days later. Here are some shots from our "party."

Combing Rapunzel's hair from Grandma Searle (with her new glasses from mom):
Waiting for mom to open Summer's new pair of kid-safe scissors (her first pair ever):
Playing the fishing game with Claire (that mom and dad made):

And . . . Ta Da! Her pink spider cake (per her request)! :) (And my first experience cake decorating.) The cake didn't actually turn out how I had planned--I cut the recipe by a third so it wouldn't make three round cakes, and then realized my cake pan was actually ten inches instead of eight. So the cake was very, very thin. And then, when I went to make the frosting, I realized we didn't have enough powdered sugar. So it was pretty much butter, with a hint of powdered sugar. (I was in a hurry and couldn't run to the store.) Rhett and I scraped the frosting off, but the girls loved it! :) (Summer's hand is in the picture for scale.)
We had a fun little party for her. We can't believe she's been with us for three years now! What a big girl. She is such a joy to have around, and we can't imagine our lives without her!

Coming next -- our trip to Idaho.