Three days, three parties

We sure packed it in this year for the 4th of July weekend. Saturday, we drove down to my family's monthly lunch and took a dip in their pool:

 

 Maria and Emery

 Ava, Grandma Carolyn, Hattie and Madelyn

 

We picked a few cherries off their poolside tree. Luke's face...haha! They are sour pie cherries.

Sunday, we ditched church to go hang out with Mark's family in Apple Valley. His parents don't live up there anymore, but his sister Sheila bought their cabin so it's still there for get-togethers like this. It was HOT. It was about 107° in Hurricane and 100° in Apple Valley. Their swamp cooler doesn't do squat when it's that hot. So it was about 80° in the house. (I keep my house at 74° at all times, year round. It's the only civilized way to live.)

Kathy (Mark's mom), Aunt Doris, Sheila

Frank, Amy, Mark and David playing Hearts for hours on end like they always do

 

 

Luke and his second cousin (?) Andrea Brown

 

 

Frank (Mark's dad), Madelyn, Luke, Dave Plastow, Mike, Andrea and Alison Brown

 

Uncle Mike horsing around with Luke 

 

Yesterday, (July 4th) Mark had to get up bright and early to help with the ward pancake breakfast while I lay comatose in bed because Luke had kept me up till nearly 2:00am. He and Madelyn ate breakfast there and then he spent the rest of the day on the yard, video games, and napping.

I spent the day cleaning, putting away approx. 1,000 things and organizing all the toys in the kids' rooms. It was not as exciting as you might think.

Finally around 9:30, it was fireworks time. We drove up to an empty lot on the hill a couple blocks from us and had a view of the whole city. This year they finally allowed aerial fireworks for the common folk, so they were going off everywhere. I stood there holding Luke for 20 minutes while he jabbed the air with his little pointer finger at every firework he saw and said "Duh-Zuuh!!!". He loved it.

 

 

Back home to shoot off our puny little fountains

 

"Wow"

 

 

The best part for me is always the "sparks", as Madelyn calls them. Already looking forward to next year!