NYE 2014

The fireworks have been going off for the past month. Now, I love fireworks. There is something breathtaking about watching stuff blow up in the sky, creating a beautiful burst of color across the black canvas of night. However, I enjoy fireworks at specific times on specific days. Not random times- 7 AM, 8:30 PM, 3 AM; not random days- Dec. 7, Dec. 27, January 8. Having a baby here during this time of year really changed my attitude about fireworks. I still enjoy them but cringe every time they would pop off after Baby Kate was already in bed.

To "escape" we decided we would go to a friend's house on the Hillcrest hill. We set up Kate's bed there, and if she slept we had planned to stay the night there. She did nap, but there was no real sleep. We ended up packing up all our stuff and heading home around 1:30 or 2 AM. The fireworks were incredible, spanning 180 degrees across the horizon. They started around 7 PM, really ramped up around 11:30 PM-1 AM, before calming down around 2 AM or later.

Local Firework Stands

Local Firework Stand on NYE

Heading Home at 1:30 AM

 **The following photos are what NYE 2014 looked like the next day at our house and in our neighborhood.

Baby Kate slept in our bed due to the ongoing pops and flashes of the fireworks.

I'm fairly certain that only 1/3 of us slept well that night.

And it clearly wasn't me, and since Josh isn't in these shots we know it wasn't him.

The aftermath in our neighborhood

This cement is stained this rust color. I guess we haven't had enough rain yet to clean it up.

Some did make it to the nearest trash container.

We had an interesting NYE. We enjoyed being with friends, but it was crazy trying to hold a toddler who is literally clawing at your shoulders from fear of the loud pops and bangs. I hope she'll appreciate them more as she grows older. Honestly, I believe that more and more fireworks will be shot off during that time. No matter what, it was an incredible thing to see!