Happy Fourth (Really 3-5) of July!

I have decided the 4th of July should be on a Sunday every year! This meant that instead of 1 day of festivities, we had 3!

Saturday, we wandered around downtown Provo. We checked out some awesome booths, found some things we would like to eventually buy when we redecorate our upstairs. By redecorate, I mean when it stops being the dumping ground for everything we are not 100% sure what to do with. We saw a possible future president..E also saw his very first snake! This was a boa constrictor that was seriously HUGE! This is down by the tail. The thing was big. E loved it. Mike was a little grossed out by the fact his son was so fascinated by the snake. After wandering around Provo, we headed over to the Proctor home for some good ol' bbq & fireworks. They live in the perfect spot for PG fireworks, and yes, we saw them going off in the crowd. I saw a Proctor activity for the first time. They take a tire tube, cut it up, close it off with wire, stick a hose in it and fill it up until it bursts. It looks like a giant sausage and is fun to bounce on and play with. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures of it bursting because all of the photographers were occupied when it went off, but it was fun!Sunday was relaxing. We needed it. We spent some time after church doing some genealogy. Mike & I have started getting into it, Mike more so than me, but we both have an interest in doing it. We then built a fire and roasted some huge mallows. They were delish!
Monday started out early! We were up by 6 and out the door by 6:25 to head to the parade. After a stop to get some donuts & muffins, we staked out an awesome spot on the road. Somebody came along about 20-30 minutes later and tried to kick us out, claiming they had reserved it...sorry, there were no blankets. We squished a little, but I refused to move. The guy was a jerk about the whole thing. Whatev, we knew we didn't steal his seats. The parade was awesome! E slept through the highway patrol bikes and the firetrucks but woke up when somebody whistled at the war veterans. Amanda & Cameron joined us. It was fun and we even caught M licking frosting off their cinnamon rolls!After the parade, we headed home, tried to catch some zzzzzs (didn't really happen) and then headed over to the Lewis home for a bbq. Another good thing about the 4th on a Sunday? Lots of bbqs! We all then headed over the the SCERA for colonial days. They had a bunch of canvas tents set up and lots of different displays from how things would have been in the 1600s. They had a blacksmith, cooper, games that would have been played, a doctor...it was lots of fun! If they have this again next year, I would highly suggest you check it out. While we were there, E joined in Colonial school. He also joined the army, but didn't last very long. :)After all of the festivities, no wonder E was exhausted. He crashed and had a mini nap, and then woke up but ended up crashing again by about 8:30 and slept through the remaining fireworks. Man, after a weekend like that, we need a day to recover! But it was a lot of time. We spent time with both families and truly could not find anything to complain about. It was a good weekend. I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank all of our soldiers, then and now, who fought (and are fighting) for the freedoms we enjoy today. How grateful I am to have been born in this choice land our Heavenly Father set aside. Yes, we are truly blessed.