4th of July

We enjoyed a super low key 4th holiday this year. We drove back from CO on Sunday evening and had made no real plans for the 4th. We did attend our annual ward pancake breakfast which was delicious and fun! After the breakfast we headed out to get some much needed groceries and then hit a movie. In the late afternoon we went swimming and had a super yummy BBQ with just our family. We contemplated throwing together an impromptu party with some friends but decided just to be together since we hadn't seen Allen in 2 weeks! We headed to Allen's office which has an incredible view of the fireworks and enjoyed a spectacular show (I've decided I'm obsessed with firework production. Allen said it's all chemical engineering - maybe I missed my calling in life). The kids were crashed out by the time we got home.

There were so many fun dessert, craft and party ideas that I saw for the 4th but this just wasn't the year for me to pull it off. My mom and I did make this cute wreath that I had seen online and I love how it turned out:

It is astounding to me that our summer is already more than half-way over! We head back to school on August 8th and we have lots more fun to squeeze in before then!

A festive Fourth

We had a super fun and relaxing 4th of July weekend this year!

First, a few pictures of my patriotic decor. We are almost always traveling over the 4th so I usually don't decorate so it was really fun to have my stuff up this year.

On Saturday morning we attended the local 4th of July parade. It was perfect weather and we had a great time. The kids took their Trick or Treating bags to the parade and brought home about as much candy as they did this past year ToTing. It is crazy! After a quick stop at Sonic for drinks and treats we spend most of the afternoon lazing by the pool before watching the fireworks from our backyard balcony.

Parade goers:

On Sunday we got decked out in our red, white and blue and headed to church. After naps we had dessert with some friends and then headed down to watch the ABQ city fireworks from Allen's work parking lot. It was a late night but the kids had blast.

On Monday we hosted a big BBQ with a few friends in our ward. It was so much fun and we had delicious food and great conversation. When it finally got dark we put on our own fireworks show in the front yard.

Carter and Noah in their matching shirts!

A few of the party goers:It was another late night and my kids miraculously slept until 9:30 this morning recovering from all the festivities. It was a perfect weekend - family, friends and fun - and made me wish for a holiday every weekend.

4th of July

We had a fun and busy 4th yesterday. We started with an early morning pancake breakfast and bike parade at the church. The kids had fun decorating their bikes and riding them around with the gazillion other little kids in our primary. For the record, there are TWO primary presidencies in our new ward. One for junior, one for senior. Something like 300 kids total. It is nuts. We met a lot of people at the breakfast and the ward is extremely friendly {YAY!}.

The kids at the church {we had lost half our decorations by this point}:

Al had to work for a couple hours but went while the girls were napping. We had been invited to a BBQ but Addie wasn't feeling well so we skipped it and ran to dinner at Red Robin after she woke up. We made these yummy red, white and blue parfaits for dessert:

When we went out to start our fireworks, this is what greeted us:It was the brightest, most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen. Of course the picture does it no justice. Our house is the one in the right corner that you can see a bit of. When it finally got dark, we headed down to Al's office where we had a perfect view of both the big firework shows that are put on here in Albuquerque. The kids LOVED it - especially Miss Addie - she was totally entranced! We got home late which made for a difficult time at church this morning but it was worth it!

I saw so many fun patriotic ideas online this year but only got around to doing these flag brownies with the kids. They were way cuter online but we had a grand time making them so that's all that really matters.

I'm so very grateful for this free country we live in. I recently read a book about Martha Washington and it was a humbling and eye opening book about the sacrifices our founding fathers made so we could have the freedoms we enjoy today!

I'm off to Colorado with my kids in the morning for a couple weeks! Hope you had a safe and fun 4th!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July this year. It's pretty much tradition to spend it with my family and always so fun. We started the day by running a rousing 3.2 miles as part of the Provo Freedom Run 5K. Don't be too impressed, I'm STILL sore.

After a quick shower and breakfast at the hotel, we took some pictures and then headed off to the parade:

The kids were completely enamored by the floats, bands and people in the parade. We had a couple of celebrity sitings - Glenn Beck was actually in the parade and Donny Osmond was filming his son on a float about 1 foot away from us. The floats were quite impressive and it was fun to see how the whole community was involved in the parade.

A few of our cute parade goers:

After the parade we headed to El Azteca for lunch and then back to the hotel for naps and some time in the pool. That evening we were invited to one of my cousins house for a BBQ and fireworks. This was for sure a highlight of the trip for me. I got to be with my family and spend a lot of time with several of my cousins and their families. We took some pictures of the cousins all together:

Did sparklers and tons of fireworks:
We finished up by watching the fireworks from the stadium of fire and having ice cream cones. It was a wonderful day celebrating the freedom of this amazing country and spending time with family!

Stars and Stripes!

We had a really fun and busy 4th yesterday. First of all, I can't remember the last time I wasn't home in Colorado for the 4th. It was weird, but really fun, to be here with just our little family. (I am actually heading to CO with the kids this weekend). Anyway, we started bright and early with a ward breakfast at 6:30 a.m. We were astounded at the early hour but quickly realized that it's smokin hot by 9:00 a.m. when the breakfast ended. The food was great but the most popular attraction of the morning were the fire truck rides. The kids loved it and Makenna keeps begging to go on another ride.

(You can see Carter on top of the truck right in the middle)

After the breakfast we ran by the house to check the progress of our flooring. They were there working!! The tile was finished yesterday and they began grouting today. It is gorgeous and we love it.

We met up with some friends at a community sponsored party. 10 snow cones, 6 temporary tattoos and one round in the bouncy tent later we were ready to hit the pool. Carter's swim abilities are amazing us. About a week ago he asked to take off his life vest and has been a pro ever since. Yesterday he not only went down the huge water slide by himself, he swam to the side all by himself. He also dives for toys, does flips and can swim the length of the pool alone. He's a maniac.

After lunch and a family nap, we headed off to another swim party/BBQ with some friends in our ward. We really had so much fun. Here's a pic of Carter right before jumping off the rocks into the pool. I think we spent at least 6 hours in the pool yesterday. We were wiped out long before the fireworks started last night!