Should you ever have the opportunity to go to Bay City, Michigan’s July 4th weekend fireworks display, you should definitely do so. They put on a phenomenal display. It was 45 minutes long, and the intro was at least as spectacular as many fireworks finales I’ve seen.

This was the first time we’ve taken the kids to the fireworks, because Poppy is really sensitive to loud noises. I thought we’d risk it this year, though, because my sister-in-law’s family has a building within walking distance of the park, so I figured we could go there and hang out if she was having a hard time. But we ended up not needing to seek shelter. My lovely and wonderful sister-in-law brought along some noise-cancelling earmuffs, and Poppy had a wonderful time. She sat next to another little girl, and they spent the whole time chatting and oohing and ahhing over the display.

Today was perfectly wonderful, too. My uncles and their families came over to my dad’s, and we spent the day eating and swimming and talking and laughing. Superb.