4th of July Weekend - Wow, it was full!

Our fabulous holiday weekend started off with a parade. Our ward did an activity for the children where they were to decorate their bikes and ride from the elementary school in the neighborhood to the park around the corner from it. We didn't decorate Kyson's bike, but we had him participate. Let me tell you, he's one crazy driver. Some of the parade participants brought candy to throw at the 5 spectators along the 200 yard parade path. The entire thing was hilarious to me. When the lead car started driving playing its patriotic music, I busted up laughing at the entire sight. At our final destin- ation, the park, all the kids played while the parents visited. It was a nice morning.

That evening we went to a little holiday party with Kris's family. It is an annual get-together with all of his step-brothers and sisters. It was so fun to see everyone considering we hadn't seen them since Christmas time. Grandma Carol is always the favorite with the treasures she brings for all the little kids. Kyson found a couple of friends there too. Since he's been in preschool, he's so much more social with peers his age - I love it! We also had amazing authentic Mexican cuisine. Naty, my sister-in-law, is originally from Mexico and she made the entire dinner. We tried to contribute to the dinner by bringing "home-made" donuts. Sure they were made in Walmart's kitchen, we still like to pretend. The food was so good and it left that spicy tingle on my lips and tongue that I oh so love! It was good times for all, but cut it short and left at dark in order to get home to prepare for more festivities in the morning.

Sunday, the 4th of July, we left in the morning for Vernal. Since we stayed in town for an extra long weekend, we thought it would be a great opportunity to go visit Kris' grandmother and family. It worked out great. Because it was a holiday weekend, there were a few holiday events going on, so it was easier to see everyone. We just had to go to those events.

We started our mini-vacation at Grandma's house eating a homemade roast and potatoes - mmm, mmm, good. We sat around and chatted for a while and let Grandma and Kris's aunt Sharon and uncle Perry play with the kids and catch up with us. I was so pleased when Kyson latched on to Sharon. They played with a train, picked peas, and pretended to have bugs crawl on them. It was so cute. Kodi was also pleasant by not crying too much and laughing at many things. She's typically good-natured, but babies are unpredictable. It was a wonderful afternoon of visiting.

That evening was the Vernal firework show. It turned out to be a rather cool day. In fact it had been raining earlier and we weren't sure what it would be like. The family was nice enough to bring chairs and blankets for us to share - we needed those blankets too - it was chilly. I expected Kodi to fall asleep and Kyson to be wide-eyed. It was a little different than that. Kodi was the one mezmorized my the fireworks and Kyson narrated the explosions in the sky by what color each firework was. He also would count them occasionally, "1,2,3,7, 9, n." My son is so smart he can count with variables.

The next morning the fun didn't end. We went to a parade where they blocked off Hwy 40. If anyone has driven through Vernal, or even to Vernal, you will know what a major road that is. I was surprised they would block off such a significant road. While the parade was definitely small town, it was another fun thing to do. There weren't any floats, just the local firetrucks, deisels, and old cars from the 30's up to current. There were also a lot of horses. Unfortunately, they were at the end of the parade and Kyson had already lost his interest by then. It was cute - worth seeing while we were there.

To finish the trip off, we went to the Dino0saur museum in Vernal. Unfortunately Kyson was not well-behaved and I couldn't wait to get out of there. He was throwing up in the middle of the night and was probably really tired. At least, I'd like to rationalize his behavior with that excuse because it was not pleasant. It was a perfect way to end the trip though, and head home. We all were tired and had our fill of fun. Kyson fell asleep literally within 5 minutes of heading home. Kodi took about half an hour. It was a peaceful drive home.

All in all it was a great holiday weekend. We saw a lot fo family, did a lot of fun events, and ran ourselves ragged. I can't wait to get a good night's sleep and get up for work in the morning (there was sarcasm in that last part in case you couldn't pick up on my tone.)

I've included some pictures of family. I'm not going to explain who everyone is, but if you know them, it's great to see current pictures.