July 4th Holiday Weekend

On the morning of July 4th, three Bird children and my parents did a 2.5 mile race.















It was a small race, and it was raining for the last half mile, but we had a great time. My dad & I actually tied for 1st. My two daughters who racewalked the event got 2nd and 3rd place. They will have a great time all the winning medals doing track and field events in the back yard.

We had my wife's family over that afternoon. The cookout and Indiana sweet corn was such a great time. I look forward to spending more time with my wife's family the week after the calculus and technology workshop I'm having at Covenant this next week. We'll be doing an extended family vacation on that Monday to Wednesday.

We also enjoyed apple pie - there is nothing more American than apple pie. Well, we also had Dutch apple pie.

Before feasting on our American food, we reflected on what the day was about. I asked our little ones and their cousins what we were celebrating: "What happened on July 4th?", "What year was that?", "Who were we seeking our independence from?"
My wife and I had been watching the dvd about John Adams. I greatly appreciate the Christian conviction of many of the founding fathers. John Adams said, “We recognize no sovereign but God, and no king but Jesus!”

We praised God for the freedom we have in Christ. John 8:32-36, Galatians 5:1

Our second oldest daughter who ran the race that morning couldn't stay awake long enough for the fireworks no matter how hard her sister tried to wake her. Wow, was she disappointed when she woke up. I comforted her with the knowledge that many people in the surrounding neighborhoods would shot more fireworks Saturday.

While my wife worked on Saturday, we had an extended reading time and I took my 7 little ones along with their two back-door neighbor friends to the library. Many 'Indy Adventures' summer reading program prizes were earned.