4th of July Weekend

4th of July turned into an extended holiday weekend celebration.  On the actual 4th of July, Maga swung by early in the morning to take the kids to the Fremont 4th of July Parade.  The parade is deemed awesome by the boys as long as there are firetrucks, police cars, army trucks, and lots and lots of sirens (big win!).  Our ward had a barbecue along with face painting, cotton candy, and some games.  The kids had a great time running around and Lyla helped me make special "firecracker"cupcakes with sprinkles hidden down in the middle of the cupcakes!  The afternoon consisted of Mom setting up an ultimate party in the backyard complete with small fireworks, water balloons, and silly string.  It was messy, wet, and loud, and the kids absolutely loved it.  That evening Dad took all the kids to Great America for rides and fireworks.  It proved to be extremely crowded and overwhelming, but the kids took it like champs.

Friday morning Mom woke up early to go on a pre-hike hike with Sister Lee in preparation for their upcoming overnight hike with some girls from camp.  It was cool, overcast, and perfect hiking weather.  Countless bunnies were spotted on the trail so it was an added bonus for Mom.  She left feeling much more confident in her ability to lead the girls on their expedition.  Dad took the kids to a big breakfast at Bill's Cafe, followed by some biking/scootering, and then the entire family went to Aqua Adventure for some quality time swimming.

Saturday turned into a major outdoor chore day, with Dad putting in a ton of work on landscaping.  Mom ran a bunch of errands and the kids stayed busy helping outside, playing on their tablets, and playing around with one another.  That night the kids went to Maga and Paga's for a sleepover while Mom and Dad went out to celebrate Sister Merrick's birthday with an ice cream crawl in Palo Alto.

Sunday was truly a day of rest and relaxation.  We regrouped from the busy weekend with most of us napping and enjoying being together, because isn't that what the holidays are for?