Happy 4th of July!

Happy 237th Birthday to the United States of America! We are so blessed to be living in this free nation and grateful for all the sacrifices that were made (and continue to be made) to ensure that this nation should flourish.

Baby Emma is especially tickled pink to be born in the USA...

Our Happy Little American

In honor of this celebration, I whipped out a copy of 1776 for Paul and I to watch after we had put the kiddos to bed. If you have never seen this epic film, you are truly missing out. It is a musical that tells the story of the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. There are many lively numbers where you have to kind of get past John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson singing and dancing about, but the history is very accurate and the dialogue is superb. Much of the spoken dialogue in the film are words taken from actual correspondence written by our founding fathers during this time.

Paul had a very hard time making it past the opening sing where the entire Continental Congress breaks out into song.

However, once he got a little further into the film, he became immersed in the dialogue and story and made it through the entire 2 1/2 hour movie without falling asleep (a major feat for him!).

Although he failed to appreciate my favorite song number in the movie, where Richard Henry Lee agrees to seek permission from the Virginia Senate to adopt the proposal on Independence. The film depicts Lee as a cocky popinjay who takes a little too much pride in his family name (most certain-LEE!). Unfortunately, I could not find a clip of this number on YouTube (unfortunate-LEE, because the sight gags in this scene are absolutely hilarious), but the song is pretty fun just on its own:

If you have not had the pleasure of checking out this film for yourself, you should do so. Despite all the fun and silliness that some of the musical numbers provide, the premise of the film is actually quite serious and very thought provoking as it depicts portions of the debate involved in the decision to break free from Great Britain and form a new nation. It clearly illustrates both the courageous and dangerous nature of such a decision.

On this day, I pray especially that we do not take for granted the "blessings of liberty" and continue to uphold the values that our forefathers fought so hard to win for us.