Sammy and Ilna, your friendship lights up my world like fireworks every day.

REAL McRollers and Readers, Thank you so much, as always, for being awesome. Wishing our US Real McRoll family a safe and happy Fourth of July


Family and Fireworks

"My favorite fireworks are in Disney World," DJ said and his sister nodded excitedly.

"They are so beautiful! And I love the pictures on the castle and the pretty music is my favorite, too," Angie agreed.

"What's your favorite Fourth of July tradition, Grandpa?" DJ asked Joseph who'd come in from putting drinks in the outside refrigerator.

Taking a seat next to Elizabeth, he pecked her cheek. "Any one that involved me being home with my best girls." At his wife's smile, he teased, "Your grandma's potato salad on the menu is also in my top three."

DJ laughed. "Grandpa's right. You make the best potato salad ever, Grandma."

"Thank you sweetheart." She raised her chin towards her mother who was peeling potatoes for said salad at that very moment. "I learned from the master."

"What's everyone's favorite Fourth of July tradition?" The nine year old asked. They were in the kitchen with their parents, grandparents and Grandma Ang, prepping for the barbecue.

"I have to say spending it right here with our family is definitely my favorite, but I remember when Aunt Mary and I were kids, we'd get up early, hang the flag with your Grandpa John and go to the parade. We always dressed in these matching, family red white and blue T-shirts and your aunt had to have matching hair ties." He grinned at the memory. "Unlike your sister, she loved hats and hair ribbons."

"I don't like stuff on my head," Angie said, stating the fact well known to everyone in the room. "But I got my cousin shirt and it's the same as DJ's and Joanie's."

"Yes you do," Catherine said as she placed two dozen cut up avocados on the island. "And we're going to wait until Joan gets here tomorrow before you wear them."

"So they stay clean," she repeated what she'd been told more than once.

"Right, We don't want to get ours dirty because then when we take pictures we won't match Joan." DJ explained before picking up the masher and looking at his great grandmother. "What's a tradition you did, Grandma Ang?"

"When I was very young, back when we were teenagers, your great grandpa Rocks and I used to go to the public pool with friends back in Chicago, and then one of our families usually had a barbecue. I would help my mother make the very same potato salad your grandmother is making right now."

"That's so cool. Our family making this potato salad is a long tradition."

"It is. Elizabeth, sweetheart, do you remember the adorable stars and stripes dress you bought Catherine when she was about six?"

"I do, she looked so sweet with those little red sneakers …"

"Oh I remember that," Catherine said. "We always went to a base party and that year they had giant hot dogs that I couldn't finish myself." She smiled at Joseph. "You said we could share one to save room for watermelon and dessert."

"Before you learned how to polish off a whole rack of ribs, hmm?" Steve teased and passed a bite of watermelon to Cammie, who was seated just out of the way of the island.

"Me and Mommy love ribs, they're so good, right?" DJ asked.

"They're delicious, and we're making a ton of them for the barbecue so you and I will have lots to enjoy." She smiled.

"Your sauce is my favorite. Better than the restaurant ones, even."

She placed a kiss on his head and thanked him for the compliment.

DJ returned her smile. "My favorite Fourth of July tradition is having our barbecue and that it's right before Angie's and Uncle Danny's birthday. I like cooking with everyone and how we go to the punch bowl in the early morning to bring flowers to Grandpa John and then we meet the Allens and everyone at the parade and all our family and ohana come to our house to celebrate America's birthday." He took a breath. "And then watching the fireworks."

"That's a lot of wonderful things, sweet boy," Elizabeth said and gave him a one armed hug.

"It's hard to pick because it's all good traditions. Oh and last year in Disney World, we had the Mickey ice cream bars after the fireworks, that was fun, too."

"Can we have Mickey ice cream at the barbecue?" Angie asked.

"I don't know about Mickey ice cream bars but I do have an idea…" Catherine said with a grin.

"I know that look," Steve said with a smile. "When your mother has that look, consider the mission halfway to completion."

"What's that mean?" The almost five year old asked.

"That means Mommy already figured it out and we're gonna have some kind of Mickey treat!" DJ told her. Looking into the large bowl his grandma was holding while he smashed the avocados, he said, "These are ready. Angie, you can add the rest of the stuff now."

"Yay! My turn," she said and added the additional ingredients under her grandma's watchful eye."

"Hey, Angie, what's your favorite thing about the Fourth of July?" Her brother asked as the family continued preparing for the barbecue.

The little girl tilted her head in thought and said, "Making guac. And potato salad, and eating ribs and corn and hot dogs and Joanie is coming and Aunt Mary and Uncle Aaron and Aunt Deb and it's almost my birthday and Uncle Danno is my birthday buddy. Oh, and fireworks," she finished.

"That's all awesome and … it's kinda the same as Daddy's. All that stuff is about spending time with our family."

Her little arms rose in excitement and she beamed. Looking around the room at the people who loved her and DJ so much she announced, "Yay! family and fireworks!"

# End. Thanks for reading!


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