4th of July

We got back from our Utah trip in time to celebrate the 4th of July on our home turf. 

 

We spent the morning at our ward's annual breakfast - one of my favorite ward activities of the year.

There's nothing particularly special about the activity, just a flag raising, standard breakfast (sadly, no cinnamon bread french toast this year), bike riding, and a few little activities for the kids, but I the simplicity adds to the charm. Everyone is relaxed; there's no hustle or push to move from one activity to another.

The kids love being outside and are free to run and ride and play.

Riding in a circle has never been so appealing.

There are plenty of opportunities for the kid-at-hearts to join in the fun.

One generous ward member always brings his mini-racer and lets kids (and adults) take turns making a loop around the parking lot.

This year, Bryce decided to bring his new pogo stick instead of his bicycle.

Nellie thought that pogoing looked like a lot of fun.

After the ward breakfast, we swung home to give Nellie a nap, then joined our friends for a celebratory afternoon. We had a simple barbecue (because what's the 4th without bbq?) and let the kids play in the sprinklers.

Playing in the sprinklers is such a quintessential summertime activity!

I didn't think Nellie would be interested in playing in the sprinklers, so I didn't bother changing her into her swim suit.  As a predictable result, she decided she LOVED the sprinkler.

"Mom!" she laughed," I'm all wet!"

We ended the evening with messy s'mores over the bbq.

We were still recovering from our fun time in Utah, and the subsequent long drive home, so we opted for a slightly-normal-than-usual bedtime, but no fireworks.  Someday we will make it to a fireworks display again. This year, we just shook our heads at how our city's new ban on fireworks resulted in absolutely no decrease in explosions.