The July 4th celebration at West Point was actually on July 8th.  That worked out so well for us because it was originally scheduled  for the 7th.  We were in Philadelphia on the 7th for Chad's cousin's wedding and it would have been very tough for us to make it back in time.  Chad camped out most of the day to get us great seats.   Ready to go! People kept talking about how crowded it would be.  While it was crowded, when you've experienced Stone Mountain crowds, Trophy Point wasn't bad.  New Cadets starting to come in for the their first moment of relaxation since R Day six days before.   Our friend Austin's younger brother Derrick marching in.   Addi and Addie sharing snacks.   Great concert on a great night.   The fireworks were SO CLOSE!  Like right over our heads.   An event definitely worth braving the crowds for!

On R Day Chad's cousin Zack came up to visit.  The next afternoon Chad's parents came up to visit as well.   Watching the new cadets go to lunch. Highland Falls 4th of July parade. I had come back to the house so Mya could nap, so I wasn't there to monitor the amount of candy collected. :)  The next day we went to NYC with Chad's parents.  Zack needed to get to Penn Station, so it worked out well for us to drop him off.   We didn't have definitely plans for the day. As we drove into the city we drove past the USS Intrepid Museum, so we decided to walk down and check it out.  Since we weren't in a hurry, we decided to stop at a park and let the girls play in a shade for a little while.  View from the deck of the Intrepid.  Very hot day!  The Intrepid is free for active military and they give discounts for family members and veterans.  It is definitely more than a pass by ...

Now back tracking a little bit.   These are from the Memorial Day Ceremony at West Point. The Superintendant at Trophy Point. Addison taking it easy! A group of Chinese tourists kept wanting to take pictures with our kids! During Chad's time off we tried to do some fun things during the day for the girls.  One day we went to Bear Mountain, which is just a few minutes away.  The little zoo is free and the girls liked seeing the animals. Love this picture! Another day we drove up to Norwalk, Connecticut.  If you are military family, but sure to check this out:  http://www.bluestarfam.org/Programs/Blue_Star_Museums/    Museums across the country offer free admission all summer long to military families.  We went to the children's museum which normally would have been over $60 for our family.  A tired girl gives a thumbs up to a good time!