Let Freedom Ring

We are leaving in 5 days! We are excited to start our new adventure in Nicaragua but we will also be a little sad to leave family. Our parents live in the same town, Mapleton. It is nice having them so close because on holidays we can visit both families on the same day. But yesterday, for the Fourth of July my family was invited by Angie’s family to spend the day with them.

Waffle cones and ice cream. La vita e’ bella!

It was a lot of fun and nice to have one last get together before we leave. We had a nice BBQ and enjoyed the beautiful weather. We played volleyball, ping-pong, and had a water balloon toss. Even though it was hot we had a great time playing and visiting with family.

Angie and her dad took second place in the water balloon toss losing to Ryan and Eric

To finish off the night we headed over to my parent’s house for some fireworks. Yeah baby!

Bella has always loved fireworks and the Fourth of July. She was a lot of fun to watch and be with during fireworks. And this was the first year that she really got into it.  She was so happy to hold some sparklers and didn’t even come close to burning herself.

I can’t believe how big she is getting and how much fun she is! She has grown so much since last year!

Fireworks 2013. Bella at 27 months

Fireworks 2012. Bella at 15 months

Fireworks 2013. Bella at 3 months

The end of a long and eventful Fourth of July! We had to lay down to see all of the neighbor’s fireworks high in the sky.

Yes, we will be living outside the States for a while, but this doesn’t mean that we don’t love the land we are from. We want to learn of different cultures, people, and languages but we will be excited to come back. We love America and what it stands for. The freedoms we enjoy everyday are easy to take for granted. If nothing else, leaving will help us appreciate what our forefathers did and what the military still does for us. I hope we can all live our lives to the fullest, celebrate our freedoms, and be thankful for the sacrifices that have been made.