Our 4th of July

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the 4th of July? Well truthfully, I love any holiday that gives me an excuse to get festive, get together with friends and family, and take a break from the every day. This year we dressed the kids in their swim suits, packed up some toys and lunch and headed to the beach! Ha, well not "The Beach" we have to wait another month for that, but we headed to the only beach in potter county which happens to man made and instead of being at the ocean we where nestled in a state forest and hills at a local lake. It was nice to spend a few hours just the 4 of us, no TV, no cell phone, no distractions. As you know if you read my blog my kids love water, so they where thrilled. Lyman Run is a popular destination during summer holidays, so we arrived early to beat the crowds and we did:) When we 1st arrived other than 1 other family with 2 young kids we had the beach to ourselves. We played in the sand, swam in the lake, tried to catch the minnows swimming along the water's edge, chased butterflied, threw rocks, had a picnic lunch and even made new friends.It was the perfect way to spend a couple of hours, with my family on the 4th of July.
I have always considered myself to be a patriotic person. However, having children has made me so much more thankful that I was given the privilege of being born, raised, and now raising my children right here in the United Stated Of America. So this year I want to say thank you to all the men and woman who have served, to their families who let them go for months, or even years at a time, and especially to those who have lost their lives, and those who have lost a father, husband, son, wife, mother, or daughter so that I can live here and raise my children in a country, where I am privileged enough to spend a day enjoying the sun, sand, and water with my family and not have to live my life in fear. A Country where I am free to worship God freely and openly and share his love with my family, friends and all those I come in contact with. Unfortunately our county is headed down a road that I am not very proud of, and am even worry about what the future of this country holds for my children if we continue down the path that we are on. However one of my favorite quotes says " As a mother it is my job to do the possible, and trust God with the impossible. I may not be able to control what their future holds, but I make it my personal mission, my job to lead my children to the Lord so that whatever the future holds I know that their lives are in the hand of our Creator and that no matter what they face God will be with them.