Fourth of July Fireworks

Brandon's favorite holiday is the Fourth of July.  The main reason he likes the holiday so much is because of all the fireworks.

Brandon is always eager to share his love for explosives with everyone.

The kids were excited to wear glow sticks and play with sparklers.

It is easy to see in these pictures that the kids had a blast all day long!

The only bummer of the day is that when the time came for the huge firework show, it was raining hard.  We opted to watch from our car. The fireworks were still amazing. 

Blanding Fun

There is always something to do at Aunt Julene's house and many people to play with.

The kids love playing outside on the swing set and trampoline.

Also, there are other fun games to play outside.

We also spent a lot of time playing card and board games with all the cousins.

Plus, Aunt Julene always has an activity or too planned.  This year, she planned for the kids to make their own play doh! My girls love it!!

We always have a wonderful time at Aunt Julene's house!

Diving for Dollars and Swim Races

 One of our favorite part of the festivities, for the Fourth of July in Blanding, is the dollar dive and swim races.

The kids were anxious to participate and were ready to go for the dollar dives.  Since we had practically lived at the pool during the summer, the kids were very comfortable in the water.

Lucy even participated a little bit this more this year than last year and ended up with a few quarters.
 Lucy insisted on wearing her goggles for the dollar dive, but she never put them over her eyes...silly girl!

Emmy and Ben's age group was next for the dive for dollars. 

Ben did a great job and ended up with a few dollars.

I didn't even see Emmy before the dive for money.  She was able to find the most money out of my kids.

Hyrum went last and found a great amount of money too.

Next, was the swim races.

Emmy took third and Ben took second in their age group (they had girls and boys race together).

Hyrum won his heat and then he had to swim immediately after he his first swim for the finals. He took third and did an awesome job.

I was so proud of my kids and how well they did in the races. They swam hard, had good form and had fun.

Fourth of July Parade

One of the highlights of our Fourth of July celebration was attending Blanding's Fourth of July parade.

Our family always sits in the same spot. 

Me with some of cousins.

We even bought some face pain this year to share with everyone; it was a big hit!

This is a picture of me with my beloved Aunt Dutch. She is my grandma's sister.  I have loved this lady since I was born. She and I have always had a special connection. She is a great example to me of faith and happiness. I hope one day to be like her. 

There is always tons of candy thrown, fun floats/groups to see.

The kids love it when they get sprayed by the water hose.

The parade is a great addition to the crazy festive day.