4th of July

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,

A home and a country should leave us no more!

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!^[12]

This is our friend David with my dad-in-law just after David's first flight in a small airplane. =)

^{What a fun holiday!  We went to James' parent's house (mom-in-law) for their annual party.  Fun was had by all.  Of course it wouldn't be a huge get together without it's difficulties (some more severe than others)...but all in all it was a good day.  I mean really, what could be better than a party with a whole lot of food?!  There were boat and plane rides, games, and fireworks.  Yes you read that right, plane rides.  For those of you that don't know us, my dad-in-law is a pilot.  My in-laws live on a private airstrip and he gave people rides for about 3 hours.
Our kids really enjoyed the fireworks!  We all loaded up on the back of trailers with blankets and chairs and went to the end of the runway to watch the show that shoots off over a local lake.}

Joseph and his best bud Samuel

Hannah's first 4th of July =)

James, Joseph, & Hannah behind her mosquito net

James & me being goofy

David, Amanda, Grace, & the silly one in the back is Molly

David & Amanda's youngest, Joshua

Our family and James' brother's family stayed the night with the in-laws and the following day ate some cinnamon rolls and overnight danish twists for breakfast and then everyone except Hannah and I went out on the lake for a fun day of boating.  The kids were exhausted!  We are so grateful to have such a fun family and friends to hang out with!

Happy Independence Day!!!