July 4th in Provo

We were not planning on a fourth in Provo this year, but due to some last minute scheduling snafu's, our weekend opened up two weeks before. It was a good thing because we had some family events we were able to attend. Scott's close cousins were all in town so there was a last minute Leaver/Hawkins reunion planned on Saturday. It was so fun to reconnect with everyone. Also, my brother Marty (& Jess) had their second baby girl recently so they blessed her on Sunday and we had a big family lunch afterward.
And, of course, amid those fun 'must do's', we played.
We hit the balloon launch early Saturday morning:

The kids "helped" my Dad feed the birds in the Aviary by playing with the food:

Gross. This entertained them for a long time.

We made paper rockets (in my parents beautiful yard! I love UT in the summer):

And launched:

Sunday night we cruised the hopping downtown in the scouts- good times until Marty got pulled over by a grumpy cop. boo!
We also attended the parade with the masses. There was a perfect cloud cover for the first half. That's when it was awesome. Then the sun came out and we kept wondering when it would end. Ha! Gotta love it:

I think my favorite part was the huge march of Star Wars costumed troops and characters. Sweet! High five.

A theater group passed by and my kids got excited for Harry and Ron ("...but where is Hermione?!" was Sadie's distraught comment)

After the parade, we have a customary BBQ with more extended family....in a way. It's my family and my brothers in-laws. And it's so fun. We play and swim and eat and visit. I am glad we do this every year.

That afternoon we packed up and drove home. We arrived in the LV valley as all the evening fireworks were going off. The entire city was puffing sparks- it was cool to see.
So grateful for family, our great country and freedom- we are truly blessed!