Another Rockin' 4th of July

Happy Birthday to our father and our country. I have no pics of the actual birthday party because by then we are just all about stuffing our faces.

Almost ready to rock the Pleasant Valley Days Parade like it's never been rocked before. This time, the Ras's are here and we're bringin' it up a notch. Go big or go home, suckas.
Actually, I think we could have started planning this a little earlier than 8 pm on the 3rd, but for decorating this "float" while waiting in the parade line, I think it rocked everyone's world and should have won something. There had to be a category for fastest decorating by a mountain home owner's family or something. Our float was way better than scary circus clown float. I should have a picture of it but that float was dedicated to Stephen King's, It.

Julia wanted each of their names to have a specific title, like, Teeny Tiny Mini Queen, Tater and Teeny Tiny Queen Claire, and Tiny Queen Miriam and Little Queen Alice, and Queen Madison. I told her that was just too much to hear in a small parade.
Entire faces covered with butterflies. No one knows why little girls want things like this.

Scary black widow face painting. Very 4th of July-esque. Nothing says freedom like an aggressive, poisonous, mate-eating spider.

Legendary Fireworks Display. Why the sad faces? Rain, that's why. Madison, however, is channeling some pre-teen anorexic model with that pose of hers. You better work it girl!

Madison got in on the action and learned to ride the dirtbike too. She needs a little bigger bike though because her knees are in her pits.

We did have two gnarly wrecks. He ended the weekend with a rad bruise on his thigh and road rash on his elbow. He's very proud of his "war wounds".

Tater steers and Jared pushes the gas. Either way though, this is a train headed for trouble.

"Playin' Chicken" with Marcus on the dirtbike. No joke, this dude kept running out and chillin' in the middle of the road until Marcus was like inches from his squishy little body. Then, when it was Madison's turn on the bike Marcus and Papa gathered a few nicely shaped rocks to use as projectiles and tried to kill some innocent varmints as they nibbled the bushes.
Another awesome experience: Marcus was chosen by an evil tick for some sweet blood sucking this year. I've only ever heard of slathering petroleum jelly on them or putting something really hot on them to make them back out. Well, I chose a somewhat large knife to heat up red hot on the stove. We killed the tick and gave Marcus a nice 2nd degree burn to remember it by. Just kidding, but we did hear of a much less painful way to get rid of them. Use a credit card.