A Few Days into July . . .

Our nephew Ethan got baptized on the 4th of July this year, so not only did we get the treat of seeing that, we got a day-long party with Gary's family. It all started out with us almost missing the baptism because we didn't pay attention to the church address, but we did make it, and it was so neat. Ethan's is the first baptism Josh has gotten to see, and he was very excited. I thought later I should have gotten a picture of Ethan with Josh, but alas, I did not . . . never the less, it was a great experience for us. Thanks for being a great example, Ethan!

When we got to Gary's brother's house, there was a paradise for kids set up. Along with the always-there trampoline and awesome swing set, there was this huge water slide paradise set up. Here is the one picture I did get of Ethan that day, playing water cannon with Noah.
Here's Noah grinning away . . . the kids played forever, moving from thing to thing, unsure of what was the most awesome. Actually, that's Josh in the background climbing in.Yeah, it included a basketball hoop. Like I said, paradise, especially for a kid like Josh (cousins on the slide - Sydney and Bethany.)

But it wasn't just paradise for kids, it was for adults, too. I mean, first of all the kids were entertained, but also, there was SO MUCH food. Good food all day. Burgers, ribs, salads, fruit, drinks, chips, desserts . . . take me back. Oh, yes, and plenty of great people to talk to while consuming everything. Here's Gary and Noah with cousin Sydney.

Noah really loved having a table his size to eat at. He sat there forever.

We all got some rest in the afternoon, and I went with a bunch of the women to the outlet stores. I didn't have any summer maternity clothes, so I spent the entire time in the maternity outlet, looking through and trying on everything. Actually getting a chance to shop by myself . . . heaven! And finding good deals on much needed items helped, too.

Then, it was back to the food, and when it got dark, fireworks. Josh had fun with the sparklers, and Noah liked them too, but helping him play with them was hazard enough without trying to take a picture. (Oh, yes, Josh is still wearing his swim trunks because he was playing too hard to remember to go to the bathroom. When Gary caught him wet he said, "Josh, why did you pee your pants?" Josh said, "That's not pee, it's peanut popper." Yep, he's still making up words daily.)

Josh is actually not asleep here. He's hiding because he's scared of the fireworks, but Aunt Shannon is doing a good job of protecting him. He's also got Holly and Grandpa to watch out for him.

Noah's too young to realize fire and loud noises could be dangerous, so he had a great time sitting on my lap and watching the show.

At the end of the day while we cleaned up (okay, let's face it, we were also trying to optimize our chatting time), the cousins watched a movie together. Can you tell they were all absolutely beat? (Bethany, Abby, Jill, Josh, Sydney, Jessica on floor.)

Once again, Sydney is a good sport with Josh. He fell asleep on her.

So, it was a great day. My favorite part was getting a chance to talk to all of the family who had gathered for the occasion. Thank you so much Sara and Taylor for hosting it! My only regret was that I hadn't prepared myself to wax patriotic, but that can be a goal for next year . . .

We were able to get together with family several more times that week. Gary and the kids hung out with some family in Salt Lake one day, and I met everyone at a park the next. Then, the biggest treat . . . Christian and Candacy and their cute girls came and visited for a night, an event much anticipated by Josh. We loved visiting with them, and the kids had a good time. We thought Josh and Jill were asleep at one point because they'd been in their room quietly for well over an hour. Then Jill came out and said, "Josh just wants to keep reading all these books, but I want to go to bed now." Jill had been "reading" to Josh the whole time.

Josh really wanted to see the ducks with his cousins, (there is a lake nearby), but they had all swum for cover due to the heat by the time we got there. So, as our farewell token, we took them to a historical site. It's actually a cool place, but in the heat when you're not taking a tour it's really more like a bunch of dusty locked buildings . . . sorry. They were good sports, though, and at least they got to see the ox-skull with salt crystals all over it and get a sucker from the general store. Here you can see that the kids enjoyed this part.

We loved having them over, and if Christian can handle the possibility that Josh might climb in bed with him (which he did in his late-night confusion), they're welcome anytime. (That goes for all family and friends, actually . . . we love having excuses to buy treats, and Josh really is a cuddly little guy.)