With the Fourth of July approaching, fireworks stands are everywhere. And no one gets more excited about fireworks than my husband. He can’t restrain himself – it’s inevitable that he will purchase some long before the actual holiday.
This year, all three kids have real memories of fireworks displays past and they were thrilled to have their own private show in front of our house on Saturday. That is – until it actually took place.
Eleanor, who still talks about the smiley face fireworks she saw in the sky the night of her uncle’s Fourth of July wedding, didn’t realize that the explosions would be closer to earth this time. And she was not pleased. At all.
I was taking pictures of the kids to catch their reactions and she gave me one hell of a reaction…
The pictures end there as I had to take her inside. But I do have some earlier shots of smiling faces during the less threatening sparklers and colorful smoke bombs.
Still experimenting with my new camera… Really do need to read the manual. The smokey shots make my children look like ghosts.
Eleanor is the only fraidy cat – but I remember how that felt. I can imagine standing at adult knee level torn between clinging to a parent’s leg and holding my hands over my ears. That booming noise seemed to shake the earth. It was terrifying.
Another big summer threat back then was killer bees. Okay – so I didn’t grow up around killer bees – but that is the way we perceived them. So much time was spent “being a flower” or “a statue” in hopes that they would buzz away without stinging us. I remember the stories about that boy who accidentally swallowed a bee that crawled into his soda can and stung his throat until it swelled up and he almost died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital… Urban legends about bees were a summer tradition. As were war stories about the stings we survived or narrowly missed.
How funny to be the grownup flicking away bees and telling our kids that if we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us.
We have several lovely butterfly bushes in our front yard, but this summer the butterflies have been scarce. Instead we have a colony of bumble bees coming to visit each day.
Aren’t they gorgeous? And not at all nefarious looking… In fact, we’ve had to keep reminding the kids that while they aren’t really all that dangerous, they still have stingers and we shouldn’t touch them.
And of course – my sensory integration disorder son who can’t NOT touch something to save his life has been petting them. I thought that yesterday when George got stung by a wasp at the pool (flew up under his sun shirt – it was awful) we would all learn a good lesson about why petting bumble bees could be very unpleasant…
Not so much. Oliver was back petting the bees today. And of course he got stung. There were some tears and not just a little outrage. But he recovered quickly and didn’t refuse to walk out the front door later. This was encouraging since it means he probably won’t have a severe bee phobia (like his more recent fear of small dogs – not big dogs, mind you – just the small ones) sending him screaming into the street at the sight of yellow stripes… But it also means that he may not be phased by the experience and will go back to his bee keeper ways tomorrow.
My money is on the bee petting. Time to chat with the pharmacist about remedies…and buy Eleanor some ear plugs.
Bee petting? Oh wow! I had to tell M and J to stop petting a snake in the wild. As in, just b/c it's not poisonous doesn't mean it won't bite if provoked (or petted).
Killer bees! ARGHHHHH!! RUN AWAY!!! I remember the killer bee scares. And low fireworks are scary. Bee petting is scarier, however, but its interesting that you are breeding a bee whisperer.
OMG, poor little lady!
Ooh, bees and wasps (and all insects and flying creatures, really) scare me A LOT. And when I'm outside with my boys and a bee flies by, I run around screaming like a child. They just stare at me. I'm like, "RUUUUNNNNN!!! IN THE HOUUUUUUSE!!!" LOL. I'm crazy.
I like your pictures! I, too, have to read my camera owner's manual. I have a bad habit of only using the camera on my iphone!
I'm still not a fan of fireworks and I'm …..
I'm old.
I don't like bees either actually. Especially since I was stung at the lake 2 years ago and my lip swelled up and has every day since then. But I'm not allergic to bees. I'm just weird.
I don't know, you seem to be getting some good shots. I think it's just practice. :)
My soon to be seven year old wild child can't stand the noise of fireworks. Ear plugs work okay and sometimes listening to music on her ipod works too.
I had no idea it was even possible to get close enough to a bee to pet it! I guess I, too, grew up with those killer bee threats always close to the front of my mind when they'd start appearing around the plants!
And…oh, I know this is probably wrong on some level, but those shots of Eleanor made me laugh. No one wants a scared child, but the look on her face as that scene played out, and knowing she was OK, was worth the smile!
Yay, explosives! And you've got sparklers! I never see those any more and I know my kids would love them. My kids. Not me. My kids.
Honest.
Yay, explosives! And you've got sparklers! I never see those any more and I know my kids would love them. My kids. Not me. My kids.
Honest.
At least he didn't inherit the same bee allergy that Matt has. Remember the picture of him looking like a terrible ogre when the bee stung him on the nose and his head swelled up?
I hated the noise of fireworks too when I was a kid. While everyone else was so excited I was the kid with my hands clamped over my ears. I feel for Eleanor.
And, bee-petting. Wow!
Hope you have a fantastic long weekend!
Those pictures of Eleanor and your other two are absolutely priceless! And those big fuzzy bees!
Those photos are priceless, Kate. Eleanor even looks adorable when she's terrified. Thanks for the sweet comment.Happy 4th to you! Enjoy your holiday and have a great week! xo