{Celebration} of Freedom

We were supposed to go to the Stadium of Fire with my family for Clay's Eagle & a family reunion, but because I could have this baby any day, we decided to forgo his birth in the car on I-15 (I had a nightmare about this a few months ago) and ended up in Rexburg with Ryan's family...A quick (ha, ha!) run-down of our celebrations:

We went to the parade and almost froze!  Actually, I thought it felt quite nice, but I have a little oven...as you can see, everyone else was a bit chilled.

The boys made a haul on candy...those are GALLON bags, filled with candy and tooth brushes.  Score!

After an indoor picnic, we braved the outdoors to play some ball, jump on the tramp, and mow the lawn.  It was a very nice afternoon, with a light breeze in the 60's, and beautiful sunshine and shade. 

These next five pictures are probably my favorite from the entire day...Brotherly Love, I tell ya!

...and he's down!

So the boys were pretty well behaved at Grandma and Grandpa Poulsen's house...for TWELVE hours!!!  Ryan and I were pleasantly surprised. 

We left about 9:00 pm after baths and changing into jammies, where the boys argued almost the entire way home over whether or not they could or couldn't see the fireworks from the car...Reminded me of the Fourth's we celebrated as kids...we'd leave to see the fireworks, and before we could get out of the driveway, we'd turn around and stay home because we were arguing, pinching, fighting, kicking, on, and on, and on...  Well, that's the way it went most years. 

By the time we got back to Idaho Falls, the Melaleuca Firework Show was well underway...we snaked our way around closed roads, and ended up a few blocks from our house in a parking lot, where Ryan pulled over so we could see the fireworks...and I think it was the best view!!!  We enjoyed 30 minutes of the show and then headed home to bed.

I am truly thankful for the freedoms we enjoy, even if our government seems to be falling apart. We spent Sunday worshiping at church, and there's no doubt in my mind, that my God made it possible for us to have the freedom to worship Him.  We are very blessed, and I am ever grateful for those soldiers who have fought for these freedoms...past, present, and future.

Happy Independence Day!!!