4th of July, 2012

This 4th of July felt short but very sweet. We took off after work Tuesday to head to OC (Orange City, IA) to see Kley's family. It was so good to see them, and we hadn't been to OC in awhile, so it was due time. We got there right in time for the party- all of Kley's relatives gathering at his aunt's house. It was great to see everyone! We got to see all the aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and the cousin's kids on the Ver Steeg side (my mother-in-law- she is one of 8, and my father-in-law is an only child!)

We ate a lot, talked a lot, the kids decorated cupcakes/did sparklers, and Kley and I took our turn taking a bunch of the kids to the carnival. We were going to ride the firetruck, but showed up just as the last ride was pulling away. Bummer. But, the girls found a baby bunny and the boys were holding their inflatable swords, so no one was too upset. :)

We ended the night with awesome fireworks. I love any and every fireworks. (My next dream is to get a camera that can do them justice- sorry for no pictures.)

Wednesday morning we saw my grandparents in Sioux Center, and then lounged all day with Kley's family, topped off with a steak, potato, ice cream dinner (Kley's ultimate favorite!). We headed home after that and made it back to Des Moines at about 10:15, which was great because we got to see all the fireworks displays from the surrounding cities from the interstate.

It was a pretty good 4th. We are blessed. :)