Baby You're a Firework

 Do you love fireworks?  I absolutely am amazed by them.  Ever since I was a kid for the 4th of July or New Years Eve, my dad would always pick up some fireworks to do for us kids.  I have a little bit of a fear of them blowing off my fingers (good job scaring me away from explosives, mom!), so usually my dad would do the lighting off part with my little brother hanging over his shoulder.  We would even get the really good fireworks from this place:

Have you been there?  As an adult I realize it is a little seedy and run down, but as a kid I thought it was about as cool as Disney World.  They have all these funny billboard signs from miles away to let you know you are getting close:

And then when you finally get there, they have all kinds of kitchy souvenir stuff to buy, and THEY SELL FIREWORKS!!!
When I was little, my favorite fireworks were (of course) sparklers, those little snap n pops (that we would throw at each other or pop in our fingers instead of throwing at the ground like you are supposed to (where was my mom on that one???), flying saucers and army men.

 For the army men, you light it and it shoots up into the air, then comes down with a parachute.  Us kids would all run to find him and rarely did.  

For the flying saucers it is the opposite strategy, they zip all over the place when you light them, and us kids would all run to get away from them!
These days, I do the same thing for my daughter, setting some little fireworks off for her, and then going to a local show. 
What fourth of July traditions do you have?

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!