4th of July, Portland Style

What a beautiful day we had in Portland yesterday!  Its hard to stay inside when the weather is so nice, so we spent a lot of time outdoors throughout the day.  Fireworks start LATE in Portland because it doesn't get dark until after 10pm.  That means the kids would be up waaaaay past their bedtimes, so they both had 2 hours of rest time in the afternoon (Alayna even took a nap!).  Since Peter was working, it was up to me to decide how to spend the holiday.  In the end, we ended up taking the bus to the Hawthorne Bridge and watching the fireworks over the river (Willamette).  It was insanely crowded, and our view was obstructed by the bridge itself, but we still had fun.  (And, can I just say, it was really nice not to be sick or sweating while watching fireworks?  Well, it was AWESOME!)  Note to self--next year, get there early so we can sit on the lawn and have a view actually overlooking the River.

Hope you all had a great time celebrating as well!

Enjoying all-natural popsicles on the back porch!

Sparkler Fun!

 

Waiting for the show to start....

 

The pictures aren't great, but the fireworks were spectacular!