Independence Day

One of our favorite holidays. We love America!

We started the celebrations with a big neighborhood party on the 3rd. Our friends go all out and do a huge professional-level display. Lots of treats and bffs beforehand and everyone is happy.

We have to bring ear protection as the fireworks are directly overhead. We put Blade to bed before it started and Maddie asked to go home halfway through.

Thursday morning, we had delicious flag-themed German pancakes to give us lots of energy for the rest of the day.

Good thing, because it turned out to be exhausting. Our kids love doing the city bike parade when we are in town for the 4th. Lance helped them get their bikes/scooter all spiffed up and they were ready to go!

I guess those kids can go pretty fast on those things. A lot faster than I anticipated. I ended up alternating between jogging and sprinting the whole parade route while Lance ran to catch up from parking the car. The German pancakes were sitting like a rock in my stomach and things were a little rough there for a while. Maybe I should run more often...

At the end:

The kids did great- they zipped along, with Daryn needing a few pushes on the uphill part and Maddie just needing some encouragement. Mom and Dad, on the other hand...

I was just glad to sit down and watch the real parade after that. 

And so were these patriotic darlings.

Lots of candy and sirens!

We stopped by the carnival for a few minutes after and let the kids pick a couple rides. 

They chose this bouncy slide last, which turned out to be a terrible idea and they all got burned bums.

Oops...

Blade got the better deal, I think.

We had big plans to play in the pool all afternoon, but an unexpected thunderstorm rained on that idea for most of the afternoon. It did clear up for a few minutes so the kids ran out.

Reagan was thrilled about her cast cover.

It was only a little chilly!

My parents arrived that afternoon and Lance and Grandpa cooked us a yummy dinner with kabobs. We planned to eat outside on our new picnic table but thunderstorm round two put an end to that (and also made us decide to skip the city fireworks and concert that night).

Luckily we were able to do a makeup the next day. Toddlers in trunks in my new favorite thing!

My dad also took Reagan and Daryn to Cabelas that next morning and then all 3 girls to the airplane museum in the afternoon so we could get things ready for Reagan's baptism the next day. Brave man! I'm so impressed.

The rain put a damper on things, but overall it was still a great holiday. We're so lucky to live here, and we try to never forget that!

P..S. Earlier in the month (or maybe it was Memorial Day?) we visited a lookout over Layton and discovered a little hike to a creek that was a lot of fun.

 Nature is the best!

Reagan's 8th Birthday

Reagan is 8! What?! That can't be right. And yet...

Despite being so busy with Daryn, we found lots of ways to spoil this girl throughout her birthday month. The night before the big day, we were up late baking and decorating and assembling and the sky was complicit in the celebrations with a beautiful display of her two favorite colors. 

First things first, a new bike! It took her a minute to figure out the speeds but she loves it.

And that means little sisters get "new" bikes too!

We had a relatively quiet day at home and then Aunt Meagan came over and joined us for a party!

Flowers from Daddy. 

Pizza and a movie on the couch.

Illustrated Harry Potter from Mom and a science kit from Dad. 

And a new, pre-loved easy bake oven for all the girls to share!

Purple funfetti cake with purple icing and mermaids decorations, as requested. 

And after dessert, a evening walk with Wilson.

A perfect day for this girl!

Some things about Reagan: some days she is really hard and mean to her sisters and some days she is very emotional and some days she is super mature and totally impresses me. Sometimes it switches by the minute and we all get whiplash. She is getting to be pretty responsible and I can count on her for a lot. She thrives in one-on-one grown up situations. She loves reading and is finally branching out (with some nudges from me). She is reading around a 6th grade level and this summer has read classics including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlotte's Web, Ella Enchanted, The Castle in the Attic, and the Borrowers, and loved every single one. She loves being outside and you can find her there most of the time. She enjoys helping me cook. She gets along well with other kids and is very friendly when she is in her comfort zone. She is intelligent and asks lots of questions and tries to figure things out herself. She likes playing the piano and doesn't mind practicing too much. She is done with dance and starting to love gymnastics more. She is kind and helpful (when reminded) but lives in her own world sometimes. She wears size 8 shirts and 7 bottoms, and size 12 shoes (tiny feet!). She weights around 53 lbs (35th percentile) and is 50.5 inches (60th percentile). Tall and skinny and beautiful! Her front teeth still show no signs of coming in but we've got our fingers crossed. We love this girl so much! Even when she challenges us...

Birthday survey:

1. What is your favorite color? Purple

2. What is your favorite toy? Art scraps

3. What is your favorite fruit? Peaches

4. What is your favorite tv show or movie? Magic Schoolbus Rides Again Episode 1

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Plain honey sandwich (Me: have you ever had that? R: No, but I can taste it in my mind.)

6. What is your favorite game? Cops and robbers

7. What is your favorite snack? Nachos

8. What is your favorite animal? Cheetah

9. What is your favorite song? A Million Dreams

10. What is your favorite book? Rainbow Magic Evelyn the Mermicorn Fairy and  Boxcar Children 1-3

11. Who is your best friend? Ivy

12. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch

13. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Eat our fruit from the garden

14. What is your favorite drink? Lemon Lime soda

15. What is your favorite holiday? 4th of July 

16. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? My heart pillow that I made all by myself.

17. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? German pancakes with white syrup and powdered sugar

18. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Little Caesars extra cheesy pizza

19. What do you want to be when you grow up? A famous artist

20. I am very proud because… I am getting baptized

21. I am afraid to … boulder to the top and jump off

22. Name one thing you do really well? Rock climbing

23. What is your favorite time of day? Lunchtime because sometimes you have a popsicle

24. What makes you feel sad? Someone taking one of my animals

25. What makes you feel happy? Getting a treat

26. Where do you want to go on vacation? Kauai  

27. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom or Dad? Go to the Rush funplex

Fathers Day

We love celebrating the world's greatest dad! In honor of him, I recreated a photo of him with Blade.

Toddler Lance refused to take a picture without his duct-taped screwdriver. I gave Blade a safer option.

 Also he is obsessed with toothpaste.

On Saturday Lance took the girls to go see Dumbo at the dollar theater. We were going to make it a family event, but decided to leave me home with Blade because he was being a stinker.

That evening we ate out at Cracker Barrel, Lance's favorite. 

Cherry pie on Sunday, per his request.

We opened presents after dinner, and as one last surprise when he cut into the pie, he saw that it was a handprint pie dish painted with love at Color Me Mine. Lucky guy.

Stop! Why are they so cute??

We're so lucky to have him!

Blade at 15 Months

This kid is turning into a full-blown toddler (with the antics to prove it). Most of the time at home he is an adorable goofball with a penchant for getting into things he shouldn't. He keeps us on our toes!

Sour cream on his quesadilla was a big hit.

This rocking chair is his new favorite thing. He uses it to get on the couch. 

He's ready to go a-huntin'.

"I got this, Mom."

Ok little heartbreaker.

Little Mr. America

Blade was our best baby but is turning into our hardest toddler maybe. He is super clingy in public and will not let anyone else touch him besides Lance and I. He flips out if we leave him somewhere. Church is super hard with him. At home, he likes to be near me most of the time and follows me around the house. He screams loudly whenever he wants something. As long as he has what he wants, he is super happy and giggly and adorable. He loves to play with his sisters. He likes being outside and exploring the yard. He can go up and downstairs and has been walking 100% of the time for at least a month. This past week we weaned him from pacifiers and bottles (and whole milk- trying out almond milk to see if it will help with his diarrhea). He loves bathtime and tries to climb in himself whenever we aren't looking. He flings everything that doesn't interest him at that second as far as he can. He points and coos at lots of things and has said a few words (turtle, tree). He gets into and dumps out everything. He hates hats but loves his sisters' headbands and shoves them on his head whenever he finds one. He takes one 2-3 hour nap after lunch and sleeps 11-12 hours at night. He wears size 12-18 month clothes and size 3 shoes. He has finally started to chunk up and weighed just over 23 lbs (55th percentile) and was around 31 inches (45th percentile). His head is still improving in roundness but we want still see a slight flat spot. He spends most of his time being totally adorable and we are all still obsessively smothering him with affection. We love that sweet face!