24th of July

I love the 24th of July! Growing up, we always had the greatest celebration. Everyone gathered in Monroe, the night before for a giant dinner and children's parade. The next morning, it was back to Monroe for a parade, races, lunch, and tons of fun booths at the park. We finished the day with fireworks at night.

Last year was the first time we stayed in Provo for the 24th. Not really knowing what Provo had to offer, we wandered over to a celebration being held at a local park. So glad we did! We had so much fun! So this year, we did it again, and even invited Heath's mom (Gammy), to come with us.

There are tons of booths set up. Most of them involve activities that Pioneer children would have enjoyed.

Micah & Abby thought it was pretty cool to make their own mustaches. Micah knew exactly what he wanted, but was having a hard time getting it to work out. A super nice Missionary, came to his rescue and made this for him. Thank you, Elder Palmer!

My little jail bird.

I LOVE this pic of Micah!

Micah had a great time riding his own pony.

Abby was a little nervous at first. She warmed up quickly though.

Micah had so much fun on the horses, that he keeps asking for his own. When I asked him where we would put it, he replied, "Just out in the backyard." Ahhh...I love that kid!

Micah trying out the axe throw.

Gammy's turn.

Daddy's turn. He was pretty serious about it.

We didn't get a picture of me doing it, but turns out, I was actually pretty good at it. Must be that Native American blood running through my veins. :)

Gammy helped Abby with the sling shot.

We took a break to sit and watch the Native American dancer. He was amazing! I am a horrible photographer. I only got pics of the back of him.

Another dancer and the drummer.

This was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Micah kept asking, "How did he do that?" "How can he do that and not fall down?" I was speechless.

There was a pelt display. Micah thought it was fun to see if he could figure out what each one was (or used to be). :)

At the animal petting area, Micah ran into a friend from school. He was sad to learn that Orien won't be attending Sunset View this year.

Abby was fascinated with the little lambs.

And the tiny horses.

Gammy & Abby. The horse got a little crazy while Abby was on him. She was scared, but Gammy was calm and calmed the horse (and Abby).

We were so happy to have Gammy spend the holiday with us. She lives in Idaho, where the 24th isn't such a big deal. I think we sold her on it though. :)

Apparently, the town Sheriff was lost. The kids got a special prize for finding him.

Here is Micah making a beeswax candle.

Abby wanted in on the action too. She didn't like how the beeswax felt though.

They both loved the duck shooting booth. Micah asked if he could go "hunting ducks" sometime. :)

We had such a fun time! We were exhausted when we left. After lunch at DP Cheesesteaks, we all headed to the swimming pool to finish off our day.

What a great way to celebrate Pioneer Day!

My mom

My mom is a saint. Really. I joke with her all the time that I'm afraid I will call her one day, and she won't be there, because she has been translated. I honestly believe there is a strong chance that could happen. She literally is the strongest, most loving, kindest, most generous person I know. Not to mention, she IS the best mother a girl could ever have.

I am blessed to have her. She is there for me. All. the. time. As I was going through my pictures, I realized that I don't have very many of her. I'm sure it's because she is always there helping me, do whatever I'm doing, so that I can have a free hand to take my own pics.

So, in honor of my wonderful mother, here are a few pics.

When grandma is around, this smile does not leave Abby's face.

Eating cake (that she made), at one of Micah's birthday parties.

Taking Micah to see the cows.

Family Christmas party. This is my little brother, Beau, Santa (aka my dad), and my mom (aka Mrs. Clause).

With both kids, my mom has been there to help me. I could never have done it without her. Either time. :)

I can only hope to be half as good a person as she is.

I love you, mom!

Friends

Micah loves his friends! He is fortunate to have several friends to play with each week. Here are a few pics of Micah and Noah. Noah is three days older than Micah. They both like to play the Wii, ride bikes, play with cars and legos, and are just really cute, happy, little boys.

Can't you just see the mischievousness in their eyes

They were chest bumping each other, but I never did get that money shot.

Cute!

We're lucky to live in such a fun neighborhood, where both Micah and Abby have great friends to play with.

Cute

I had some of the Primary girls over for an activity, at my house, today. We made these! Aren't they cute?

I made these ones for my niece, Zoey. I couldn't find flip flops small enough for Abby, but once I do, she's getting her own pair.

Blessed

Sometimes, I look at my kids, and feel so overwhelmingly blessed. Today is one of those days. So, in honor or my little man, Micah, and my munchkin, Abby, here are a few, previously unposted pics of them.

I like to buy them new outfits for the 4th of July. Here they are modeling this year's wardrobe. Pretty cute, huh? Micah wasn't really in the mood for pics. This frown quickly turned to a smile when we got to the Richfield City parade. Can I just say that Micah quickly turned into a candy chasing aficionado? He ended up with half a grocery bag of candy. Abby didn't catch on as quickly, and even after she did, she picked and chose exactly which pieces of candy she wanted. If it didn't look good to her, she just left it in the road for the other kids to gather. She ended up with about 12, carefully chosen pieces of (mostly pink) candy.

I love these moments! Notice how Abby is looking up at her big brother? You can just tell how much she adores him, can't you?

Abby insisted on telling Micah a secret. To this day, I don't know what the secret is. I'm not too worried though. How much could a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old have to hide anyway?

My favorite!

Freshly dressed in their new Christmas outfits. Yes, I buy them new outfits for every holiday. :)

All ready for an early morning Easter Egg Hunt. Heath's work opened their annual one up to the community this year. It's always a lot of fun and the kids look forward to it each year.

Last night, after doing a very few fireworks, I put the kids in bed and went to clean the kitchen. When I turned around, Micah was standing there. I said, "Micah, what are you doing? You're supposed to be in bed?" He said, "I just wanted to give you a hug."

Like I said, I am blessed.