Fireworks and Family Traditions (The Loud Kind)

Well, it’s official. The Hartwell babies have a perfect record when it comes to fireworks: they hate them. Sophie screamed through her first Fourth of July at five months old, and now Theo is carrying on the tradition with the same enthusiasm.

Fireworks and Family Traditions (The Loud Kind)

Sophie has come around to fireworks now that she’s five - she thinks they’re “pretty but too loud” and covers her ears like she’s protecting state secrets. Theo? Well, Theo is five months old and every boom sounds like the world is ending. Marcus is doing his best bouncy-dad routine while I document this chaos for posterity.

I love how these holiday traditions just… happen. Not the ones you plan, like matching pajamas or special breakfast recipes. The real ones - like how our babies apparently inherit an instinctive fear of explosions in the sky. It’s weirdly reassuring that some things never change.

Happy Fourth of July from the Hartwells, where patriotism comes with earplugs and a lot of patience.