Independence Day

The Fourth of July has become my favorite Holiday.

I love this country.  I love small towns and bigger than life fireworks.

I love that everyone is matching.  We could take a big national family portrait. 

I had big hopes of fireworks over a lake, but that plan proved to be more stressfull than desired for our short time window when Devin wasn't working.

That will have to wait yet another year. Poor poor me. Our alternative plan  to stick close to home, turned out way better for us and actually refreshing instead of draining.

Our day started early with a big church ward breakfast. Tradition in this ward.

Biggest omelets ever.  So Good. I just love when wards or families, big groups gather like this.

All the kids playing and all adults chatting, holding  and ooh and ahhing over eachother's babies.  

It was a beautiful morning.

 Then we hustled to join our Berrett dearests and headed to Melba for Parade and festivities.

 McKay and Lily pie.

Gage is THE funnest age. I just die over everything he says and does.  Parade watching with him was so adorable.  He is at that little boy stage where he loves big trucks and tractors and he's always loved horsies. Even if that "HA-HEE" is a goat, he is over the top excited.

Devin and Nate had fun narrating the parade and stealing candy from children.

It was most definately a small town parade.

 Perfect for our two families  of  little kids. I mean with little kids.

Well both accurate

 This minivan  was hilarious. 

It was a great little town. Would totally do 4th of July there again.

 We spent the afternoon in Nampa with the Berretts swimming and BBQing, finding lost baby kittens, jumping on the tramp oh and napping.

We all just totally clonked out in the living room.  It was great.

So excited to swim!

Gage was a little bit too large for his float toy, shh don't  tell him.  

We just had to hold it up so it wouldn't sink. HA.

 Cannon ball competition

Nate:

Nate  won for most dramatic re-entry out of water.

I like my friend April.  She adores her baby girl.  

 We partied till about 8 and we were all just DONE.

Went home and put babies to bed. 

 Cache had bought a few fireworks with his money earlier that week. 

Set those off.  

Devin is making fun of my super shiny sunglasses and was trying to take a picture of the fireworks reflecting out of them.  Didn't work so much.  But got a lovely picture of the garbage can!

Put that boy to bed totally pooped.

Finally we retreated to our secret get away. 

Secret because we will never tell the kids we go on the roof.

Watched fireworks till we couldn't keep our eyes open and called it a day. 

Devin worked hard the rest of the week and we took the kids to see BRAVE that weekend.

Gage cheered "Whoa!" Through the entire movie and was so funny with the giant bowl of popcorn that was as big as him. We weren't sure how he would do at a theatre, but he had a blast.

 No pictures of that.