The 4th of July 2010

I love this holiday! July is so fun with its BBQs, swimming, fireworks, night games, lazy summer days, baseball games and parties. I love all things patriotic. We had a wonderful long weekend with Carter around for most of it.

On Friday night we had a fun BBQ with some great friends who educatedon the ins and outs of NASCAR. It was fun to learn about a sport that we have no clue about....that never happens.

On Saturday we went to the local park to enjoy the festivities. This kids liked the foot races the best, even Carter got in on the action. It was amazing how popular the plain old races are with the kids and adults. Cooper took third in his age group, so did Jackson, and Bowen took fourth in a tough group. The prize was a shiny gold dollar. It goes to show you that simple is better!

We enjoyed another fun get together and swimming with neighbors that evening, we were the beneficiaries of some delicious homemade Cafe Rio! We watched the fireworks over St. George late into the night.

Monday the fun resumed. We made homemade raspberry taffy and enjoyed a relaxing day together. Monday night was the grand finale with some amazing store bought fireworks and sparklers.

Our own little firecracker!

Cooper running his little heart out.

The prize: A golden dollar

Jackson getting walloped by his "fraternal twin"

The "old man" races. On your mark.... Get set......

Go Carter Go!! Not bad for and old guy!

Carter pulling and pulling and pulling and ......

Cutting the taffy

Jackson cutting the wax paper for wrappers



Bowen wrapping the taffy

All my worker bees ( Courtney was babysitting)

Cooper doing sparklers

Bowen with the double sparkler

Guess what happens when you pose goofy for the photos? Your mom posts them on her blog. Take that Courtney!!!

What a wonderful time to remember the freedoms we enjoy and sometimes take for granted. Our generation is often complacent when it comes to voting and getting educated and involved with our government. It seem as though we will not be able to sit back and hope for the best anymore. We will have to be actively involved in guarding our freedoms. We have been the recipients of so much sacrifice and hard work on behalf of our ancestors, and I will ever be grateful. I hope you had a wonderful holiday full of family, food, fun and fireworks!

Four Months

On June 16th Gwen was four months old. Here are some of her stats:
Weight 10 lbs
Height 23 inches
Grabs toys
Drools like crazy!
Sucks her entire fist to fall asleep
Rolls from front to back
Rolls from back to front
Started eating a little bit of rice cereal and pears
Not quite so fussy
Coos
Belly laughs
Smiles (she has two unique dimples just under each eye)
Scoots to the top of her crib after waking up Loves the swimming pool
SLEEPS ALL NIGHT
Takes long naps several times a day
Very strong and wiry like Courtney was

Gwen draws attention wherever we go because she is so small. She is a petite little thing just like Courtney was. One day in Target a lady said "Oh, she is so cute and tiny!" I responded "Yep, she's a midget." The lady gasped and put her had over her mouth, "I'm sorry!" Laughing I say "No, no she's not a little person, I just meant she was small." I guess I will have to be more careful about my comments!

We love our Gwennie! Someone in our ward commented that they have noticed an increase of love and happiness in our family since Gwen was born. I thought that was a lovely thought. Bowen said "I just love having a baby in the house mom." All the kids are crazy for her, especially as she is getting bigger and more interactive. We are grateful for our little caboose.