4th of July

On the 4th of July this year we got up early and like all true, red-blooded Americans, got all dressed in cute little matching, patriotic color-themed outfits :) Then we head over to Main Street in Kaysville for the Independence Day parade.  We arrived 2 hours before the parade was supposed to start and ended up driving around for 30 minutes cursing all the annoying people that brought out caution tape and roped of huge sections of the road, sidewalk and neighboring lawns long before they were legally allowed to do so (at least according to our rant, they did).  In the end we left Main Street and sat near Corbin's school where the parade route ended to watch.

It was obviously a long, and hot wait at that point, so I had planned ahead and cut up 3 pounds of apple slices for the kids to snack on.  We played games, went over to the playground and sat in the shade to help pass the time.  Jefferson decided he liked the apple slices a little too much and started shoving them in his mouth so fast I thought he might choke.  So like any concerned mother I allowed him to keep the slices he was double-fisting in each hand as well as the ones scattered on the ground around him, but decided it best to move the bag away for a minute.  He did not take that well at all:

Seth was so fun to watch this year, he was heart broken the first time they threw out candy and he didn't get any.  So Caleb went over and helped him find a piece.  Corbin helped him collect a few more pieces of taffy the next time and then after that he was content to just sit there and watch from his little chair while all the other kids ran around him and jumped up and down in the street begging for things to get thrown their way.  At one point this cute teenage girl saw him sitting there pointing to the fox mascot guy in their vehicle and reached into her "special bag" and pulled out a stuffed animal that she tossed over the big kids straight to him.

Makelle was excited to run out into the street along with every other little girl within a one mile vicinity and mob the Disney Princess girls that came along.

After the parade we went home, hot, tired, worn-out, over-loaded with sugar and spent the day relaxing and playing at home together.  Then we went and got Panda Express for dinner, which has become an odd tradition for Caleb and I, before heading out to brave the annoying crowds of people once more to see city fireworks as a family.  Corbin and Seth fell asleep, but Jefferson was adorable and sat there pointing and spontaneously clapping throughout the whole evening, right up until I tried to take a picture of him and then he was no longer interested in the fireworks and only wanted, desperately to grab the camera.  Moment ruined, oh well.

Lloyd Family Reunion

We attended a family reunion near Boise for my Dad's family over the weekend.  We got to the campsite and quickly claimed a cabin that was near the parking area so we wouldn't have to haul our stuff very far.  We then realized this was the cabin farthest away from the main lodge area and spent most of the weekend hiking back and forth every time we realized we need to get something.  It also happened to be at the highest point on the mountain, which provided a great view and the world's coldest night as we felt like we were in a wind tunnel, serving as a beacon for all the cold air in the entire state.  The kids were crying and freezing, no one slept, at one point I had both of the little boys in my sleeping bag with me, and the older two cuddled together in the baby's playpen where they were less likely to kick off their blankets.  It was down right miserable.  We had convinced Uncle Cameron to come up with us, and I am pretty sure he won't be letting that one go for awhile :)

Now that we are past that terrible night though, we can admit that the rest of the trip was worth it.  The kids swam in cold water, while I sat on the edge like a wuss and watched.  Seth bought a Hulk action figure at the family auction that he hasn't put down since.  The kids befriended their second cousins.  We ate yummy food and got to visit with family.  The whole family participated in a testimony meeting that brought everyone together. Caleb and the kids climbed a steep mountain, then noticed the "NO HIKING" sign on the way down.  Overall it was a great experience, despite the terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad night :)

Mr. Jefferson Turns 1

Jefferson's first birthday was on Monday.  Corbin had tennis lessons that morning which meant he got to eat muffins at the park, then bum scooted over to the sandbox.  That boy loves sticking his toes in the sand, he will spend hours watching the sand sift through his fingers.

After playing at the park for a few hours we went and met Caleb for lunch at Chick-fil-A.  Like any baby, Jefferson loves eating and even more so LOVES drinks of any kind.  He was in heaven slurping down their sugary lemonade, right up until he ran out and then it was tears until Makelle distracted him by carting him off to the play place.

We ended the day with another trip to the aquarium.  He loves to sit and stare at the shark tank.

We were showing him the penguins and he got so excited and stared pointing and yelling, "chicken! chicken!" like he does in our backyard.  Aside from mama and dada, 'chi-ten' has been his first word and he says it so clearly that the people next to us understood him and were just laughing at this cute little baby adamantly calling the penguins chickens.

This was the best group shot of the kids playing on a whale that I could get, turns out the more kids you have the more difficult it is to get them all looking at the camera and smiling simultaneously... who knew? :)

Family Perks

Always fun to have an aunt with a puppy rental business that owns dozens of adorable little puppies.  Makes for a fun family BBQ, the kids were in heaven!

Brothers

This post needed an update :)

Jefferson is like a perfect little combination of his two big brothers.

Learning

I make the kids do a math worksheet along with reading and writing every day before they can play. Corbin and Makelle have gotten pretty self-sufficient lately and usually just sit down and get it done on their own in the mornings and then I come and check it later. This morning I was checking Makelle's workbook and found this:

Gotta love 4-year-old logic!