Fireworks are boring....

...when compared to a fire inside your own home. And that's exactly what happened to us yesterday. We had a couple of our friends and neighbors over for a barbeque, followed by fireworks. We sent the kids down into the basement so the adults could eat and chat in quiet, and halfway into our meal, they came running back up the stairs, yelling that there was a fire in the basement and "poison gas everywhere!" Apparently, the kids had been playing with a balloon, and it had gotten stuck on the top of a lamp, melted, and then started a fire. It was really stinky, hence the "poison gas comments." When I got down there, I saw flames on the top of the lamp and had to put it out with a fire extinguisher! For the rest of the night, Donovan kept saying "basement burning!" so I think it must have scared him a bit. I don't think we'll play with balloons for awhile...

After the excitement of the house fire, we went to the local fireworks. We have pretty much boycotted the big DC fireworks down on the mall. Sitting all day in the hot sun to reserve a seat and then fighting traffic on the way home just doesn't sound like our brand of fun. For the past couple of years, we have gone to the Lee Rec Center in Fairfax county. We love that we can get there about 30 minutes before the fireworks start, and be home about 20 minutes after they end. Plus, it's a pretty good show. Avery and Donovan loved the sparklers. Donovan plugged his ears the whole time during the firework show, but the minute it was over, he said "again?" Avery kept talking about how much she loves fireworks and how she had waited all year to see them. Then, when they finally started, she spent the entire show asking "when is the grand finale?" and "is this the grand finale?" I guess she's a girl for which anticipation is much more fun than the actual event.