Pioneer Day!

Since we had other plans on the 4th of July and weren't able to set off any fireworks, we decided to enjoy our own little firework display on the 24th of July/Pioneer Day instead. The boys had been saving their hard-earned allowance money for a few weeks to buy their own fireworks and were quite disappointed when we took them to the firework stand and they discovered that their combined $14 budget might be enough to buy a pack of sparklers and a couple pop-its. Dang, fireworks are such a rip-off! Being the awesome parents that we are, we took the boys to Costco where they used their money to "chip-in" on the Costco-special assorted fireworks package. Ordinarily, I would probably be a scrooge about buying fireworks because the entertainment is over within just a few minutes, but I actually felt like we got our moneys'-worth with these fireworks. The kids (our boys plus cousins and second-cousins) squealed and delighted in every single smoke bomb and ground flower. As it got dark, and we lit the fountain sparklers, the kids all lined up side-by-side and watched the mini-display with that pure excitement that only kids seem to possess. I feel like those are the magical moments of childhood that really matter, and, for that, I'm happy to get ripped off by the firework stands.