4th of July

 I love the 4th of July.  I love that I was raised in a family that celebrated it and in a community that values it.  Matt had to round in the morning so he decided to ride his bike and I drove down to Provo to the parade and he met us there.  I can't remember why we were delayed that morning, but we were sitting at the beginning of the parade route instead of the end like we usually do.  So mom called a few times to check on our progress and then met me at the parking lot for the Provo Rec and we hustled over to meet up with everyone else.  As soon as I arrived all three of the Littles ran to join cousins or uncles (Oliver didn't exactly run, but he was reaching for Uncle Brett).  It's one of the greatest blessings of being around family - the interactions here and there and the familiarity that grows to be surprisingly strong.  My relationship with my siblings has been especially valuable in my life.  I'm so very grateful that our children have the opportunity to form those bonds with family, immediate and extended.

Kate and Daniel were super excited at all the people and the mood of the parade.  Well, that is until some guns were fired and the police sirens started going off, then Daniel, who was sitting on Troy's lap at the time, covered his ears and had a very concerned look on his face.  After a few minutes he came over to sit with Amy and Emily who had shown up not long after we got there.  Amy had slept at Emily's the night before and then they walked to where we were sitting.  The parade seemed seemed shorter this year (when does a parade ever feel shorter?) but it was so fun  The lit

After the parade some of us had decided to go swimming.  It worked out perfectly to be just a few blocks from the Provo Rec and to have parked in it's parking lot for the parade.  We all walked back and changed and spent the afternoon in the relatively calm Provo Rec pool.  It was so fun.  We wanted a family pictures (minus Tyler).  We probably shouldn't have told the Littles that we were going home after we took a picture...

It was Brett's family, Ash-Anna, Robyn's girls, and our crowd for most of the time.  Lot's of fun!

 We headed home for naps and a little down time.  Then we all met back up at the park next to our neighborhood for a pot luck.  You can't reserve the park so we headed down about 5:30 to see if the pavilion was free and set up.  It ended up working out so well.  We ate and chatted and the kids played some games we brought or at the playground.  I worried that they would get bored before the fireworks started at 9 or later, but the time passed quickly.  As dusk started to settle in quite a few other families came to the park as well.  Apparently we weren't the only ones who had this idea (I think it is usually full every 4th of July).  As soon as the fireworks started booming Daniel crawled into my lap with his hands over his ears.  He's long been sensitive to loud noises and we had them going off behind us, in front of us in the park, and all throughout the valley.  Brett took the following two pictures of our fam...

Those storm clouds look pretty intense, but it didn't rain at all or slow down any of the fireworks.  In fact, it was a much more pleasant evening than I was expecting, probably thanks to the cloud cover

 Oliver Mac was pretty exhausted from the day, bless his little soul.  He snuggled in with Grandpa Tay for a while before he and Mom volunteered to take the Littles home and they put Kate, Daniel, and Oliver to bed. 

    

I tried the panoramic mode on my phone and tried to capture the evening and all the fireworks...

 

What a great day.  Pretty much perfect in my book.  I'm grateful for this wonderful country.  Happy 4th.