July 3rd.

Last night was one of those nights.

the kind you dream about when you start having kids.

the kind that you think every summer night will be with littles running around..

fireflies..

friends...

good food and conversation.

And then you actually have kids. and maybe in a couple of years we will have more of these nights, but for now this was the first true one.

It was the perfect mix of friends, familes, and everything magical.

I didn't get any pictures.

There were times where I thought, wow, I really wish I had my DSLR to capture this. Or wouldn't this be a really fantastic instagram shot.

but I consciously decided to continue to be unplugged. To soak it in.

To marvel at how my kids were perfect for this. No fighting, no arguing, no mischief.

Just pure, wild, uninhibited joy.

As dusk set in, Ella and her friend Andrew saw fireflies for the first time.

and the smiles on their faces at the recognition of these sparkly little bugs was indescribable.

So I started teaching them how to catch them.

At first they were cautious. Holding their little almost-4-year-old hands in perfect pockets hoping the unsuspecting bugs would fly right in. Of course, they soon realized that this was not the most affective, and so they just started dancing.

Running around, arms flailing, singing about these little light up things.

It was pure magic.

We spend almost 45 minutes chasing after fireflies, and by the end there was a whole gaggle of littles running after them.

Seriously, what dreams are made of.

It finally became dark, it was the lastest my girls had ever stayed up...and the fireworks started.

Sophia told us later it was her favorite part of the day, even though she spend the whole time clung to Luke with her face the other way.

Ella leapt with happiness as the red ones burst in the sky, informing anyone who would listen that red was her favorite color (along with pink and green).

Ella danced, Luke stood holding a clinging Sophia, and I felt some baby wiggles as the loud booms filled our ears.

It was our second to last night as a family of four, and I could not have been more perfect...

and heart-filling.

Today we spend the fourth of July with family, preparing for the world entrance of the littlest yet.

Tomorrow is the day.

As soon as people hear that, the only thing they ask is "are you ready?"

a common (albeit annoying) question..

my canned answer is always, "ready as we can/will ever be"

but at this point that is totally true.

I am ready.

I'm feeling completely at peace with it..

while I'm not looking forward to the actual labor, last night was like a bookend.

The end of a family of four, ready to move on to a family of five.

ready for more of those magical nights like last, with the exception of an added person.

Today we celebrate freedom and independence, but for our house this year we celebrate new life and exciting adventures to come.