Happy Birthday America!

The week leading up to the 4th of July Shafer and I watched the John Adams HBO mini-series. Shafer had read the book and my family had raved about the movie. We weren't disappointed, it was great! It left us feeling very patriotic as Independence Day came around.

We had big plans of heading down to Provo for the festivities there, but the boys weren't feeling well in the morning. Luckily by afternoon they seemed to be doing much better, so we made our way to Granny Woolf's for the annual BBQ and fireworks. Granny's house is right by the BYU stadium where we can watch the fireworks from Stadium of Fire without having to pay the price or watch the Jonas Brothers perform. (Just kidding, I'm sure it was a great show!)

Here's Granny relaxing on the lawn. We love you Granny, and thanks again for having such a big crew over to celebrate with you!

Baby M was seconds away from smushing one of the stripes, but it was so cute I had to take a quick picture! Don't worry, the pie was safe!

I came prepared with some GF food for Big Boy, including some chocolate chip cookies made from the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free line. They were great and I was able to try them out on some of Shafer's cousins who also eat gluten free.

We always have such a great time together chatting and laughing. The kids had a great time playing in Granny's fabulous yard and watching Uncle Ross's firework show before the big show.

So, all you need to tame a group of small boys is some candy and some fireworks!Cheeks turned to me during the show and said, 'Mommy, I'm fowding my ahms!' If only he'd be as reverent at church as he is for fireworks!

The fireworks were okay, but everyone noticed they weren't as grand as years past. I guess everyone has made budget cuts in this economy! Baby M seemed to enjoy the fireworks, I was worried he'd be terrified.

My in-laws looking cute and cozy in the swing.

This year we debated about leaving early so we could get some sleep. My sister and her husband blessed their sweet little boy on Sunday at the literal crack of dawn. (Well 8:30 is the crack of dawn when you go to bed at 2am and have to drive 45 minutes to get there!) But, we ended up staying for the whole show and hanging out and chatting more until after midnight when the traffic finally cleared.

It was a wonderful 4th! I'm so grateful to live in this country where we have so many opportunities and freedoms! I'm also grateful for our wonderful families!

If anyone's wondering, we made it to the blessing with time to spare the next morning! I won't say anything about how coherent we were, but the blessing and festivities that followed were wonderful!

What a cutie!!!!!!!!