Happy 4th of July!

Today was a fun day! We have quite a few young American kids in the missionary community here who don't know the joy and excitement of celebrating America's birthday in the U.S. So, one ingenious mom went about re-creating that experience rather resourcefully. First, several families gathered for lunch and a chill cook-off. Participants were to taste each entry, and then leave a toothpick in a cup next to their favourite dish. The winner went home with the golden bowl award (which was actually silver), and the honor of proudly displaying the bowl in their home until the next annual chili cook-off. 

After lunch, everyone gathered outside for the big parade! Most of the kids had brought along their bikes and trikes so that they could decorate them for the bike parade. On cue, parents surrounded the perimeter of the house (the parade route) and hummed a patriotic tune while the bikers paraded past. Many of the bikes were decorated with streamers and patriotic signs. 

Now, what is a Fourth of July celebration without fireworks? We improvised here with soda and Mentos explosions! The kids (okay...and adults) were very enthusiatic about creating colorful streams of liquid in the air by dropping Mentos into various soda bottles for a fizzy eruption. Unfortunately, most of the fizz just kind of fizzled. 

       

That's when the BIG KIDS (a.k.a. "dads") took over! Convinced they could create the grand finale we all look forward to, a few of the dads took a fresh bottle of soda and funnelled in a handful of Mentos. Then they quickly capped the bottle and vigerously shook it. 

Since we all know it is not too smart to open a bottle of soda and Mentos that has been shaken, they came up with an alternative way to open it. Bet you wouldn't guess this one!

Kevin, their fearless leader, pulls out his crossbow and aims for the strike! Thankfully, he hit the target (and nothing else), but the soda bottle just turned on its side and let out a pitiful moan. Hmm, have to work on that one for next year. 

It was a HAPPY 4TH!