4th of July. (A week late)

This 4th of July we live in Orem Ut. So we won't have the luxury of waking up and walking to the parade. What was fun was that my parents and the Browns were able to come up and enjoy the weekend. We also did something new this year. We (my mom, my kids, and me) woke up early and went down near Provo high, to watch the hot air balloons take off. The kids loved it! we kind-of followed the balloons, and then went home. From our house, we could still see the balloons so I took a few pictures:



Lauric, and Maley brought their parents up for a visit. So we were able to all enjoy the 4th together. (except for Sharley, the poor girl had to go to Washington, and New York)










Cute girls!!!


Off to the parade. We wanted to camp out and get a great spot for the parade, but by the time we were ready to go find a spot there wasn't a single spot left. So Saturday morning we went and parked at the Toiaivao's house, and walked up to University. We usually catch the parade on Center street, but this year we wanted to try something new. Ends up we got a really great spot, and we didn't even have to stare into the sun. Also we got rained on for a few minutes. It was perfect weather for a parade. One of my favorite parade groups are the bagpipes, and this one group had some pretty narley chicks in it.
After seeing a few bands go by, grandma asked max what instrument he would like to play. There was no response until he saw the men in Kilts, and that's when he replied: "That's what I wanna play." Funny kid.
Here's the kids: Lauric, Max, and Isabel. Max and Joe had matching flag heads (it's tradition.) Isabel never wants to be left out and so she gets the streaks on top.
Here's Joe enjoying a tootsie roll while watching the parade from grandma's lap. Luxury!
One of the kids favorit floats...Pirate island. It was pretty cool, they even had a Captian Jack Sparrow at the helm of the ship.
So after the parade, we came home, got babies to nap, and set up a little swimming pool we had borrowed from the Toiaivaos. It really was a little pool but we still had "big" fun. (tehe)
Here's Joe after his nap getting ready to go swimming.
Joe, and Max, pre-water:
After playing outside for quite some time, 8:00 rolled around, and it was time for..."the main event!"

My dad purchased some fireworks to light at the house, and the kids all loved sitting and watching the dazzling display of flames dancing on the asphalt.

First, a little sparkler action:

On to the main event...














Mesmerizing












By the end of fire works...Well, the pictures explain all:












What a long day. Hot air balloons, a massive parade, swimming, lots of food, and fireworks. What more could you ask for. Oh yeah, a nice comfy bed. :)