Taylor's grandpa lives just down the street from us so his aunts and cousins usually visit several times a year. We love getting to see them and Ethan and Isaac are particularly in heaven because the cousins are so nice and play with them non-stop.
We spent most of Thursday in the pool. I didn't even have to get in since there were so many kids "helping" Ethan and Isaac. And since I didn't get in, neither did Miles- good thing he can't really move his walker or he'd have steered himself right in with all the other kids.
These particular cousins are from California where fireworks are illegal so they go a little crazy when they come here. We did fireworks at Grandpa's house literally 4 nights in a row. Ethan was very excited to be included on the fun but obedient enough to keep his distance. Isaac was fine watching but way too scared to get close at all and Miles hated every pop so he spent most of the time inside.
Besides doing fireworks at home every night, we saw big firework displays Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (We're a little fireworked out right now). Friday night Taylor's mom got tickets for everyone to go to the REAL Salt Lake soccer game. They stomped the New England Revolution 4-0 so it was a really fun game for us to watch.
I tried to get the whole group in the shot but with 11 people that didn't work. Ethan and Isaac spent most of the game down the row with the cousins and coming back to us for food. Grandpa played the gate keeper and happily tickled and teased them the whole time. This is one of his favorite games and makes them say "please let me go" before he'll let them loose of his legs. Isaac has the phrase down pat now although it sounds more like "pees wet me go" and he laughs his head off every time.
The fireworks afterwards were great although we couldn't see some of them because the wind blew them above the canopy we were sitting under.
Saturday we tried to escape the heat by going up to Park City which is always at least 10 degrees cooler. We walked through a great street fair and then spent a while in the bounce houses at the kiddy area.
We let them play almost an hour there and still had to drag them away.
Luckily these things are so expensive or I might get talked into having one in my backyard and they're HUGE!
Couldn't resist a little hula hooping.
Saturday night again we did fireworks down at Grandpa's house and then came back to ours where we watched the local fireworks from our living room. The trees blocked the lower ones but we caught most of the show and really can you beat sitting on couches watching fireworks? Plus no traffic between the living room and their beds!
And Sunday we joined the whole family for dinner and fireworks at the Salt Lake Country Club. Sunday dinners are very important to Taylor's mom and she goes out of her way the entire year to make dinners at home so we can all be together (they used to always eat out but when we said we wouldn't come she switched to dinners at home without a single complaint ever). So every 7 years when the 4th happens to be on a Sunday we go with them partly so we can still have the family dinner together and mostly to show her how much we appreciate that she respects our beliefs and that we're willing to respect her belief in the importance of Sunday family dinners.
The fabulous buffet, grass for the kids to play on, and fireworks make it a fabulous evening. Ethan, Isaac, and the 3 cousins ate dinner and then kicked around a soccer ball while we made pigs of ourselves. We broke out the glow sticks when it got too dark for soccer. You think Miles likes his? Yes he's wearing a hat- it only got up to 72 that day so the evening was chilly and we had to run home for sweatshirts, hats, and blankets.
Isabella, Sophia, Ethan, Isaac, and Russell playing with their glowsticks. They were good enough to look at the camera and say cheese- my kids were too entranced by the glow sticks to even look up.
It's so nice to live so close to Taylor's parents so that my kids get to really know them well. We really love them! Taylor's mom even watched all 3 of them Saturday afternoon while his dad took us and the cousins to see Eclipse. Ethan and Isaac didn't mind, she took all 3 boys to McDonald's with a playarea and got them happy meals and Ice cream- even I'm not that nice!
Yes that's a kilt on Isaac. Taylor dressed them up in them this year and last. They don't seem to mind except Isaac kept holding his up around his waist so he could run better- he's just not used to skirts hitting his legs.
During the fireworks, every time Miles would cry (which was a lot) Taylor's dad would lean over and dangle the glow stick in his face to distract him. It worked every time and he calmed down enough so everyone could enjoy the show and I didn't have to take him inside to avoid the loud pops.
It was an amazing show although the wind blew huge chunks of ash into our faces.
All in all it was a great weekend filled with good food, good family-friends, good fireworks, and good entertainment. I was really happy that the 4th fell on fast Sunday and there were so many testimonies shared about the price of our freedom. We taught our Sunday School kids about Gideon in the Bible who followed the Lord with exactness and had the faith to take only 300 Israelites into battle against 3 other nations. We're trying to do that in our own lives- follow the Lord with exactness and faith and to always remember the amazing miracles he had performed that have blessed and preserved this amazing nation and allowed us to have so many of the freedoms we do have.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
Luckily Jim's an engineer and has also retrofitted his stairs in NY to fit a similar baby gate so this was a piece of cake for him. He zip-tied a 2x4 to the railing and then drilled the gate into the wall and the board. We ended up making it a short gate since the wall is short anyways and so it's easier for Ethan and Isaac to open it. Also by the time Miles is old enough to climb over it, we won't need it anymore. 
And look how well it works. It's already saving Joseph! I do need to stain the 2x4 to match but other than that I think it's perfect. I'll take an engineer in my home anytime he'd like to visit!!!
