My FROGGY Fourth!

What did you do on the 4th of July?  Watch fireworks, hang with family and friends, relax?  Yes, we did all of that, too!  But did you have a giant FROG encounter???

This friendly fellow was relaxing by the pond at Trail Creek Farm, where we have our annual Fab Fourth Family bash, hosted by our farm relatives, Susan and Harlan. You probably know Trail Creek Farm from their beautiful cross stitch pillows, banners and designs. The designer, Susan, is my sister-in-law. 

She is also the gracious hostess for our annual pyrotechnic extravaganza at the farm, where (almost) every kind of firework is legal. For many years, we have gathered at the farm for food, fun and fireworks!!! Sadly, neither of our daughters were able to make the drive this year (from out of state), so we did our best to celebrate in style without them.

Harlan took little Noah on a tractor ride, which he LOVED! Noah also enjoyed visiting the young chickens in the barn. Their fuzziness is fading quickly, as they mature, but they're still cute! 

Henny and Penny, our favorite chicken footstools, were hanging out on the front porch to greet us!  These mega-sized chickens are actually sturdy footstools, and are handcrafted on the farm by my niece, Sally, and Susan.  They have beautiful bronze feet and beaks, and are wrapped in cozy hand-dyed and felted wool. If that's not enough, their heads BOBBLE!  Check them out at www.thecitygirlfarm.com. 

And all that excitement was on Sunday, the day BEFORE the official holiday!  On Monday morning, we put on our hair-wrecking bike helmets and rode to a fun Wichita tradition, the Riverside pancake breakfast. We met a group of friends there, found more friends once we got there, and had a tasty and fun morning. After the breakfast, the neighborhood kids do an old-fashioned parade with decorated bikes and the whole nostalgic thing. 

Where am I in this pic? That's me in the middle foreground with my back to you, using my hands to tell what must be an amusing (or embarassing) story, judging from the looks on everyone else's faces! Afterwards, we biked back home to counteract the effects of our pancake/sausage fest!