July 24th & More

 July 24th is a BIG holiday where we live.  With Hilary and Adam's family "reunioning" with the in-laws, we almost forgot about the local parade.  Tiffany remembered so with minutes to spare and no chairs or snacks, we headed for the parade.  I love it that in a smaller town, you can show up and still find a nice spot.  We even managed a little shade.

 There was lots of candy as usual so when there came a break in the parade, Taylor & Jen used that as an excuse to leave.  Their kids thought it was over.  Steve, Tif, Abigail and I stayed to see the neighbor's daughter and get freeze pops.  Ahh the fun of it!

 Our afternoon activities included picking some of the first produce from the garden.  Our zucchini plant was killed by the lawn fertilizer people but our yellow squash is doing well.  Tomatoes have started to ripen too.  The kids love picking and eating the peas too.

 That evening Tiffany treated the kids to sparklers.  With careful supervision, I guess they are okay but I don't love them.  The kids thought they were great.

 June was a little afraid so she opted to watch.

 Taylor and Jen left that afternoon to drive to ID for their spud man triathalon.  While they were gone, we opted to check out the local farmers market.  It was moved to a different location this year.  We liked the other place better, but it was fun nonetheless.

 Tiffany bought the girls bracelets but we couldn't find anything suitable for Will in our budget ($1).  Luckily we found a garage sale on the way home that had the perfect toy.  Will was very happy with his plastic sword.

 The kids both helped Grandpa fix the front door lock.  That day, he was a very patient man.

 When Jen and Taylor arrived with their Spud Man trophies, the kids were thrilled and shared their surprises too.  Jen and Taylor both did very well.  Jen beat her competition by 4 minutes but missed the top prize as she hadn't registered as an "Elite".  Who knew?

 The next week back at our "work" house, we got to host Thomas, Jessica and Cameron over night while their parents were entertained by Tricia's famous and talented sister and brother-in-law in a private concert.  Since it was a late event, the kids got to sleep over.  Fun for us!

 Shawn arrived the next morning.  Now we are certain this reunion is really going to happen.  Steve and I worked in SL and did additional preparations there.

 The front windows have really been dirty and bothering Steve a lot.  I was concerned to have him up on a ladder.  He found a cleaning kit that solved the problem.  We both love having the windows cleaner.  One of the things we really like about the house, is that it has lots of light because of the big windows.

 After Tiffany's trip to Jana, our long time hairdresser, their family heads north to CV.

 That evening we met Libbie and Jeff's family at the airport.  There is Benson carrying donuts from the Donut Man all the way from SC.  Doesn't everyone bring donuts?

 Xander was awfully tired after the long trip and late night.  They didn't land until 11 p.m. but he cuddled right up with his Papa.  They are good buddies.

 Now all of our family members have arrived in the UT.  Our long awaited reunion is really going to happen.  We are so excited!