Happy 4th of July!

I hope you have a fun and SAFE Fourth of July!

On this day, in Philadelphia, the 13 American colonies ratified the Declaration of Independence in 1776.  They were in the midst of a seemingly disastrous war against one of the strongest militaries in the world.  In this document, the Founding Fathers set forth some of our most important ideologies as Americans, that "all men are created equal," that we believe no government may take away a person's "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" without due process, and that the people have the authority to overthrow any government that is not protecting those rights.

So while you're celebrating, don't forget that first American army and also all those who have served in the American armed forces since!

Coming off my history teacher soapbox, we're having a very low key day here.  We ran some errands, are doing some cleaning, and are relaxing.  We may load the boys up in the car for fireworks, but haven't yet made up our minds.  This is the first Fourth in a really long time that we're home for the holiday, usually celebrating at my parents' house--who have a deck from which we can see the fireworks, so no need to wake the boys.

Happy Independence day, everyone!