4th of July Fun

I think when the 4th falls on a Sunday, it's only in Utah that it becomes a 4 day event!!! On Friday evening, we barbequed with a bunch of neighbors & Stephen & I had a great time visiting with friends while the kids played. It has been a busy summer & it was nice to catch up on each others lives. I especially liked talking to my friends Janae & Amy. Steve enjoyed talking politics, scouting, gardening & fishing with Ron, Walt, & Kevin. I enjoyed watching Sarah & Jenna with their babies, & had a hard time believing they are both old enough to be mothers. They were both 11 years old when we moved into the neighborhood. Time has flown by! Stephen & the girls stayed for fireworks, but I went home to rest.



Kaitlyn's best friend Megan slept over & were up until 3 am, so I was very surprised to see them up & at our ward's patriotic breakfast at 7am. Stephen & I had to eat fast, & then drive up to Herriman to attend a baptism at 9am. We had to hurry home to get Jonathan from camp. He called six minutes after we arrived home! We rested most of the day as we went to bed late & woke up early. Around 3, Jonathan & Stephen left to work at our ward's booth at BYU for the Stadium of Fire. The girls & I debated going up to Provo to watch fireworks, but opted to go to bed instead. Yes, they were very tired!



Sunday the 4th was a typical fast & testimony meeting at church. I love my calling as nursery leader, but since we have moved into a new building, that ironically has a much smaller nursery, the kids I serve have had a hard time settling in. There was a lot of yelling, crying, & hitting. I felt like all I did was break of fights & try to redirect their attention. We tried taking them on a walk, but even that ended in disaster. As soon as I came home, I sat down on a couch in our sitting room, & I couldn't move for 20 minutes! Luckily, the evening ended on a pleasant note with a nice visit with our friends & neighbors, Reed & Suzanne Butler.



Monday was the last day of our 4th of July celebration, & I have to admit by this point, I felt partied out. Hannah went swimming with the Cloud family as Emma's guest. Jonathan worked at a firework booth for a high school fundraiser. Emily played wit Katie Smith most of the day. Steve worked. Still, Jonathan has a week off from Maple Dell, & I wanted to celebrate with him. So I made a nice dinner for our family, & later, we lit off a few fireworks.