The Lee Family: Happy 4th of July!

We woke up on the 4th and we were all surprised that we weren't sore from the rafting trip the day before! Before heading to the plaza for breakfast, Sofia and I took a short hike in the arroyo and she took me to the top of the ridge where she and Olivia spend a lot of their time exploring. It was fun to see the area and the arroyo is such a beautiful and interesting place to be. For so many 4th of Julys in Santa Fe, we've always gone to the Plaza to enjoy the pancake breakfast. It really is quite a tradition and a great thing to experience. However, this year none of us felt very inclined to eat pancakes after standing in a long line. Instead, we decided to go to The Plaza Cafe for breakfast tacos, Huevos Divorciados and pancakes for the girls. We only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table, so Aunt Shirl and the girls and I headed into one of the gift shops next door. Of course, the girls found things they wanted. Sofia found these really cool bobble head dragons made in Mexico which were really pretty and only $4. She bought four of them, one of them for Liam which I thought was really sweet of her. Olivia found a butterfly one that she wanted and also bought a little necklace for Hannah. Soon it was time to sit down at The Plaza Cafe for breakfast. It just felt civilized to be able to sit down at a table, drink coffee and eat a warm breakfast that was what we each wanted instead of pancakes and strange sausages. As always, The Plaza Cafe was fantastic! After filling our bellies we set up Aunt and Uncle's folding chairs in our "usual spot" on the Plaza and just hung out. Of course, there was local bands playing patriotic music on the stage, people dressed up in patriotic clothes and vendors selling goods. There is a really cute stand that sells fairy wings, fans and all sorts of cool stuff our girls, especially Olivia, would do anything for. The girls had fun playing and trying out everything and Olivia bought a fan. Sofia bought something, but changed her mind and took it back. She later found a bracelet that she loved and bought that, which caused Olivia to fall in love with a bracelet too. So, they were soon outfitted with bracelets! I walked around, hoping to find a piece of art for our lake house. There was one artist selling really cool art that included mermaids and I saw one I liked, but not really enough to ask how much it was. It's mainly just fun to walk around and enjoy the scenery and people watching.

When I got back to our area, Sofia and Aunt Shirl were challenging each other to a cold water challenge. We happened to be sitting next to the big tub filled with ice and bottled waters for people to take and drink. Sofia decided to see how long she could keep her arm, up to her elbow in the freezing cold water and challenged Aunt Shirl to beat her. They went back and forth a few times before deciding it was super cold and sort of painful! We took turns hanging out in area little sitting area and exploring the different booths. CK took Sofia and Olivia to look at the car show while Aunt and Uncle and I hung out.

Soon we packed up and headed back toward Aunt and Uncle's place for a rest, to read, and then to start on dinner. The girls played on CK's iPad and took a few hikes up and around the arroyo, while CK read outside and I hung out with Aunt Shirl and started preparing for dinner. It was a gorgeous night and felt great to sit outside and enjoy the perfect weather while Uncle Steve grilled steak and chicken. Aunt Shirl made a delicious salad and asparagus and corn on the cob. Finally it was time to eat and we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the delicious dinner and talked. We enjoyed dinner and then talked and waited until it got dark to try to watch the fireworks. It was cloudy out and we weren't really sure we wanted to get in a car at 10pm to find a place to watch the fireworks. Instead, we waited until we heard the pops and buzz of fireworks and climbed to the top of the arroyo to see what we could see. Unfortunately, due to the cloudy weather, we couldn't see anything. Plus, it was "cold" for us Texans! Olivia was "freezing" and used her sweater and mine. It was 68 degrees out! There was a certain chill in the air, which felt great to me but was colder than either girl is used to. We headed back down to the hacienda and Uncle Steve started the fire in the gas fire pit. It was really perfect for the chill in the air. The girls went to bed and we hung out for a bit before we all headed off to bed too. What a fun and relaxing 4th of July!

CK welcoming the morning on the hacienda patio