4th of July

This year for the 4th of July, we went to my Grandma's (Nana) the day before & watched the North Salt Lake fireworks on her front lawn like usual.  Then the next morning, we decided to try taking the kids to the Layton Parade, because we thought they'd LOVE it, but also because my 2 youngest brothers (Chris & Jeff) were going to be playing in the marching band in it.  Luckily my parents had a shaded area all set up for us by the time we got there, so it made the heat a little more bearable for this pregnant Momma!

The kids were MOST excited about the CANDY that was being thrown out on the sidelines... And they always love seeing the horses or silly clowns riding around & stuff.

Because it was SO hot that morning, my Dad got the grand idea to SQUIRT people walking by in the parade with a squirt bottle (that shot pretty FAR, I might add!)...  Some people were caught off-guard by it & others stopped and asked for MORE!  Only someone like my Dad could get away with something like that!

Laron even brought some popsicles for everyone to share near the end of the parade, which was JUST the kind of treat we all needed!  After the parade, we came home & ate a yummy lunch (made by Laron, with LOTS of fresh fruit!) & watched a movie as a family.  What a fun day!

That afternoon the kids had fun cooling off by running through the sprinklers & squirting each other with the hose!  Somehow Skyler seemed to be the driest one of all... :) After they got changed into dryer clothes & it got a little darker, we set up our chairs on the front lawn & tried just doing our OWN little fireworks in the culdesac in front of our house for the first time.  We quickly got joined by a few other neighbors who had a few fireworks of their own & had a BLAST just being at home & making family memories of our own!  We couldn't afford a very exciting mix of fireworks, but the kids thought EVERY SINGLE ONE was simply amazing as they oooed & awwed on the sidelines!  Laron let each kid take turns picking which firework to light next & whenever Skyler or Kimberly would pick one, Bailey was our little cheerleader that cheered them on with, "Go Skyler!  Go Skyler!  Go Skyler!"  or "Go Kimberly!  Go Kimberly!  Go Kimberly!"  What a sweetheart she is!  The neighbors thought she was adorable too!

While we were doing fireworks together, I even felt Baby Tydon kicking me from within, as if he was anxious to be in on the fun as well!  And suddenly, our little family outing felt even more complete, knowing that our newest addition was eager to participate in the fun as well!  I sure can't wait to have HIM with us soon too!