Floats, Food and Fireworks--Happy Fourth of July!!

I should also add the word Fun. The Fourth started bright and early with the Murray City parade down state street. Candy was thrown, which means of course the kids had a good time. I did too, as I ran out into the street to grab a piece of candy Ivy was too scared to get and was honked at, in good fun, by the approaching truck and jumped high enough for the entire crowd to get a good laugh. Ivy made sure everyone knew she was the only one who caught two necklaces, was handed a water bottle, and caught a bag of Doritos. I was just happy to see this float:

In case you can't tell, it's a float that encourages recycling. My brother laughed at me as I took the picture.

After a rousing game of Phase 10, while cranky Mo took a nap and Ivy and Elliett played, I came out victorious and we had food. My potato salad still isn't quite perfect (anybody want to share their recipe with me?), but we ate it with our hamburgers and hot dogs and it was all good. While our food settled the kids rode their scooters and I supervised, making sure no one went farther than the second bush. We even got in a little bit of swim time, where the one floaty donut was fought over and elicited more than a few tears from having to share.

All was forgotten, though, when we were on our way to Sugarhouse Park for some pretty darn spectacular fireworks. The people were many and the fireworks more so. I laid on my back there in the park, with Ivy right next to me (covering her ears) and the rest of my family near, and had these amazing fireworks going off right over my head and was happy. Pictures don't nearly do it justice, but I'll post some anyway. And the finale--Wow!


Happy Fourth of July! I love America and am grateful to live here. I have very happy and wonderful memories of spending the Fourth in Moroni with my grandma and grandpa and lots of aunts and uncles, and of my first and only Fourth in New York last year. Almost anything is better than the year I was stuck working til midnight and didn't get to see one single firework.

Also want to wish a Happy First Birthday to Dutch, my friend Pam's little guy. He was born last year on this great holiday and now every year on his birthday he gets the day off AND fireworks!