Our own fireworks!

Since we were going to be out of town for the fourth, we waited to buy fireworks until the fifth so we could take advantage of the post holiday clearance.  We never buy much more than the basics anyways, but we have found it we go the day after the holiday, especially toward the end of the day, the workers will often throw in extras.  This year, we were given a package with 4 larger "pillar" type fireworks as well as some snap-pops, ground blooms, smoke bombs, the snake things and some confetti shooters.  Gotta love free stuff!  :)  We also made sure to get some extra snap-pops and as many sparklers as we could since they are our favorites and we often do them on New Years Eve and sometimes birthdays.

After Samuel got home from work on Thursday, we waited until it started getting a little bit dark and headed outside.  As a child, I remember having to wait foooooooorever for it to be dark enough to light them off, and I think our kids thought we were torturing them as well.  

We started off with some snap pops.  I love how something so little and cheap can make them so happy.  The mess does not make mommy happy, however. :)

 Getting a dud ready to step on.

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 I let both of the kids pick one out that they wanted.  Of course Malachi picked one that looked like Transformers.

 There was quite a bit in that little box!

She loved watching the show, but didn't like the loud noises.  She sat in my lap the whole time so I could cover her ears.  (Here's a sneak peak of my new hair cut.  I'm gonna try to get better pictures of it when it actually looks good and I have makeup on! ha)

Sapphira picked a "Purple Pearls" firework.  The second she saw the purple on the front she grabbed it up.  This was my favorite one growing up.  Nothing, not even the label, has changed about this one.  Another plus, it doesn't make noise, just pretty purple sparks.  (When Samuel went to try to get some more sparklers after work, they threw in a box of 8 of these for free.  We saved several for her birthday!)

Yay for sparklers!!!  I love how in awe they are everytime we give them their first one.

Then we start to get a bit crazy...

Big circles for a big boy...

little circles for little sis.  Does anyone else miss the old metal ones??  They were so much better! :)

I really like having our own little show at home.  I think it's kinda fun to do it the next day so the kids get to see both big and little fireworks and it spreads out the excitement, too.  Doing it the day after also makes us quite popular neighbors!  All the neighborhood kids started pouring out of their house at the first pop of a firework and congregating a driveway down to watch.  A couple of them were getting really excited and ooo-ing and aw-ing and calling out all the colors they saw.  Happy Fourth of July!!!