Fourth of July

We are usually in Utah for the 4th of July but since we went on our "great northwest road trip" we decided to forego our summer Utah trip.  Whenever we are here for the fourth we go to the Highlands Ranch parade.  We were in Colorado for the 4th in 2022 and I explain all about my feeling on the parade and the "drama" with my older kids not wanting to come/coming to the parade.  Same story this year.  So go read that!  Except for this year I was more annoyed than over joyed.  My annoyance was for several reasons, the day was going horribly. I usually wake up early (5 am) and go get us a place, but slept in util 6.  When I got there our usual place was taken (along with almost all other places), luckily someone offered for me to join them.   That "someone" was the same group mentioned in my 2022 post, Steve Hakes.  Turns out we are often "on the same page" when it comes to planning for our families.  Over the last 3-5 years I have gone early to many events that someone has to go early to, to get good seats (parade, Santa, trick or treat street, parade, etc) and it turns out that somehow we end up right next to Steve Hakes.  We always seem to pick the same place and about at the same time.  The "problem" is that he also saves places for 5 or 6 other families they are friends with AND Steve stays there the whole time (as one should when saving).  I don't have that convenience as I am often juggling 8 or 9 balls, so I am back and forth, back and forth figuring everything out.  Luckily I can usually count on Megan to go an hour early to sit and read, but that is becoming less reliable.  Anyways, what I am trying to say  is the whole thing is very embarrassing for me normally and this year it was just icing on the cake that Steve stepped in and "saved" us by offering us a place with them.  I was so grateful for the sake of my children, but from the optics of how the social groups play out in the ward, it was very uncomfortable for me.  

But here we are.

I am so glad to have Megan on my side helping me shoulder the load!

The boys had work this morning and couldn't come.

This is the a fore mentioned Steve Hakes, in the green.  Scott Coleman is in the red.  He is also always there early to things to save places for his family - but Steve is the one to get there first.

Here are Jen and Allie in the Parade for Max Taps - I love having friends in the parade.

Charity and her kids were trying to find a place to watch the parade so I convinced them to join us

Drew Prusse had gotten set apart as a missionary just a few days before - it made my heart so happy to see him there

When the parade was over we had to walk part way home because Jason didn't want to deal with the traffic to come get us.  Thankfully it wasn't a hot day but I had to, of course, take a picture of Megan reading her book while we walked.  I love her!

When we got home I set up a tent in the front yard for Dane and Eve to play in.  (Last summer we loaned it out for stake young mens camp and a bear tried to break in and ripped it, Ryan Ahlstrom felt bad and took the tent and "fixed" it.  He had just given it back and so I set it up to see what he did and if it was really fixed.  It was!!  Ryan is so great.)

Then everyone but Brock and Jason went to the Clark's for a party/BBQ.  I can't remember why Brock didn't come (work? friends?).  Jason was having a rough day with it being the fourth of July and felt like he should sit this one out.  I fully supported his decision :)  

The Clark's had hung a zip line in their backyard and they loved playing on it.

Maddie had strong feelings about her fourth of July outfit.  She had me take her to target at 10 o'clock at night on the third to find a baby blue shirt to go with her white overalls.  It all turned out so cute I forced her to let me take pictures of her.  

Once dinner was over Megan found their library and enjoyed reading their books. (in the past there were a lot of other youth at the party - this year there really wasn't any) I asked her a few times if she wanted me to take her home, she did not because she wanted to finish the book.

Noah did have a several friends there and they played games down stairs.  Will and Emerson have been such a great part of Noah's friend story over the last year.

I took Dane and Eve home around 9 to go to bed.  I was feeling guilt about them missing the fire works, but they hate loud noises and I knew that at 10:30 I would be wholly regretting keeping them up.  So when I took them home we did some sparklers.

And Jason came out and helped!

When I took Dane and Eve home I also took Megan home, I went back to the Clark's and picked up Maddie.  Noah stayed to watch the fire works with his friends, but Maddie and I drove around and watched some of the different fire work shows around the valley.  Mads was thrilled I let her sit on top of the car out of the sun roof - she tired to capture a few pictures with the fire works in the back ground.  I really enjoyed my evening with her, she is really fun.

When we got home neither of us were done celebrating and we decided to watch a movie.  We googled "good movie to watch on the fourth of July", it had some great recommendations and I showed Mads trailers of a few and in the end she chose Forest Gump.  We only got through half before falling asleep so we had to finish another night.  It was a great mothering fourth of July! 

Eve's 4th Birthday

So far we are 4 for 4 in NOT celebrating Eve's birthday on her birthday.  Her birthday falls right during the older kids' ym/yw camp week and it seems sad to celebrate without them there.  (I haven't done those posts yet because I am still waiting on the leaders to send the pictures.)  But we celebrated the day after they got home (earliest we have ever celebrated it before).

For breakfast she asked for waffles - so Jason was the one to make her birthday breakfast.  

She didn't just want waffles she wanted "special dad sandwich waffles" which is 2 waffles with strawberrys and ice cream as a sandwich.

The BEST part of her birthday was her birthday activity.  She wanted the whole family to go to the park.  We started off by playing duck duck goose.  I thought it would last 5 minutes and then Dane and Eve would go play on the park and the rest of us would watch/talk/sort of play with them.  But to my surprise everyone was loving it and we played for over an hour and then played tag.  We never played at the park and we had to force everyone to leave.  It was one of the best family nights of the summer (or even all year).  Everyone was having fun and being funny - especially Jason, which the kids LOVE when he is funny and really "into" something.

She wanted a "ghost spidey" cake but she also wanted a "Tracie" cake (the red robot spider).   

I showed her some pictures and there weren't a lot of options with the Tracie cake and she decided just to do a ghost spidey cake and not Tracie.  But I made a fondant Tracie and put it on the side to surprise her and she LOVED it.  She was so happy.

Apparently Jason thought it was one of my best cakes because he wanted a picture with me and the cake.

Obviously I agree that it was one of my best, because I took so many pictures.

Here is the cute 4 year old, birthday girl!

She LOVES to make silly faces.

Her cake wasn't the only ghost spidey thing about her birthday.she got ghost spidey legos, costume, and books.

She was adorable and loved it all.  I have a home video of her reactions - watch it.  She said, "This is what I have always wanted me whole life."

This may be the cutest dress up my kids have ever had! 

(she is forcing her fingers to do the web shooter pose!  I mean.... adorable!!)

she got the fingers, but just held it to her side.

Dane was coaching her from the side and told her to hold it up, she looks a bit unsure.

She's got it!!!!

Dane HAD to join in the action!

Our spidermen!

Eve at 4

• Eve loves to bake and cook.  When Dane is at preschool and it is just me and her at home ALL she wants to do is "make something".  I can't get her to go do something fun, even with friends.  She also wants to help me make dinner every single night.
• Eve has lots of "best friends", every new person she meets is her best friend.  In fact she loves to make "friends" at our outings.  Every girl that is roughly her age and playing near her she says, "mom, look I have made a friend.
• Since Eve is a true "Covid" baby (born June of 2020) she will always be watched to see how her generation is effected by the COVID lock downs.  Living in Colorado with it's small family sizes puts Eve at a real advantage over her peers socially.  Most of her peers are either the oldest or only child or had one older sibling.   Eve TOWERS over her peers in her sociability, verbal skills, large motor abilities and almost every other measurable statistic.  I am sure it would have been similar with out Covid (it was the same for Madison) but adding Covid into the mix... it is night and day.  In fact for her well check up I forgot to fill out the "ages and stages" questionaire and the doctor said, "don't worry about it, she clearly is ahead of everything"  when the nurse was checking us out she said, "oh you didn't fill out he survey" and I said "the doctor said don't worry about it" and she said "um, it is mandatory, he wouldn't say that, every parent has to fill it out"  after going and talking to him she came back and said, "yep, he said you don't have to, I have never heard a doctor say that before."  And she got tested for speech at preschool yesterday and the speech person called me and went on and on about how "advanced" her speech is and how she already has her sounds up to a 6 year old.  I don't know if it will always be this way, but it is clear spending the first 18 months or so in a home with 7 other people 24/7 and having constant attention and constantly being held and played with, literally CONSTANTLY was excellent for her brain, while most of her peers sat in bouncers while their parents remotely worked.  (I know that is an unfair assessment... but is it?)
• She loves Dane.  She has just started getting a little mean to him though.  She has only been his biggest fan her whole life, but she just started getting frustrated or angry with him and learned that she can hurt him by clawing him.  She claws him a few times a day and then immediately says "sorry, sorry, sorry", "mom, I said sorry"
• She likes to watch Daniel Tiger.
• I have taught her her letters a thousand times.  She knows them.  Then a month later she has no idea what they are.  Weird.  She writes and spells her name.  She is starting to read.