What was your favorite?

Wow, it's been a month since I posted. We've been busy doing summer stuff...going to the water park, going to Six Flags, park days, pool days, lazy stay-at-home-and-read-in-the-air-conditioning days. Last week we went to Tyler for my cousin's daughter's second birthday. My cousin and his wife throw the kind of parties and have the kind of home that make you want to hang around long after the festivities are over, and their daughter is definitely one of the cutest and most charming humans I know. Ryan and Mira had a great time, and they're still talking about it.

We had a mostly quiet Independence Day. The kids threw those little popper thingies out in the street this afternoon, and we hung around at home cooking, watching movies, and playing until about 8:30 when we went to watch fireworks. Someone told us a park that was suitable for viewing the city fireworks. We got there right before it got crowded and waited patiently for the fireworks to start. When they did, we discovered  there was an approximately one square foot of park where you could actually see the fireworks and not just hear them. There was a couple already standing there; but, we squeezed in, and they seemed mostly amused by Ryan and Mira's commentary. When we got home, we lit sparklers in the backyard. Last year Mira was too afraid to handle them, but she got up the nerve this year and said it was her favorite part of the day.

"What was your favorite part of the day" features heavily in our end of the day conversations, followed by "what was your least favorite part of the day." Mira started it, but I always enjoy it. It makes me appreciate all the simple pleasures every day, and occasionally it makes me realize I need to enjoy myself more.