After driving for two days, we finally arrived in Kaysville, escaping the smothering heat in Mesa to enjoy the loving crowded-ness of family at Granny Paula's house. And it was Independence Day to boot! Pancake breakfast, community parade, beautiful overcast weather, families galore, and fireworks to round out the day.
The parade was ages long, so long that when Joe, Isaac and I went to Salt Lake to see Grandpa Tom's daylily booth at the Farmer's Market and were late getting back, we still had an hour and a half of parade left! So fun, so many memories for me, and so exciting for my kids who can't really remember their last 4th of July parade (if they tried it in Arizona we'd all fry to a crisp on the sidewalks).
The boys all caught Mardi-Gras-type necklaces from the parade float-riders, as well as tons of candy, stuffed animals, and a necktie from the Missionary Mall. Emily caught a piece of gum in her teeth (not on purpose) just after this photo was taken. Ouch!
Isaac loves to be with his cousins (his "best friends in the world"). He loves the "babies": Grant and Austin, because they are littler than him! He will love to meet Clara and Henry later this month.
All the cousins invented a sort of dodgeball-football game on the trampoline and played for hours in the afternoon.
The best news of the day: Emily announced the impending wonderfulness of a new baby coming January 2010!
The Kaysville fireworks were spectacular; only the boys were so enthralled with the glow-in-the-dark rings I gave them that the fireworks took second fiddle. Isaac was so upset that the fireworks were breaking the clouds! It took me awhile to convince him that the fireworks were making new clouds, not breaking the ones he loves.
Joe and Kelli and baby Grant (not so baby anymore; he turned one while he was in the States) were visiting from Brasil and we were so glad we got to see them.
We finally closed the day with sparklers and poppers in the cul-de-sac and fell exhausted into bed (and floor mattress and couch) around midnight.
At first we bought the fish food and all the boys had fun sprinkling it in the water and watching the hordes of fish scrambling for their share.
Then everyone took turns catching fish with Grandpa. They each caught two to eat at home!
Isaac showed us that he caught the first fish!
Austin was so excited to see the fish. We really had to watch him so he didn't jump right in the pond!
Noah trying for his first fish.
Jacob proudly showing off one of his fish! They all thought theirs was the biggest.
