4th of July..To Celebrate or Not

The Fourth of July snuck up on me this year because it occurred way too close to Kaitlyn's birth. So, I'd pretty much decided that we would just do the bare minimum. Since we also have the 24th to shoot off fireworks in Utah and my kids are usually questionable about them anyway, I wasn't feeling too terribly guilty. However, last year we went to Provo's Freedom Festival with some friends and they persisted until they talked us into going again this year.
So, on Saturday, we broke out our Fourth of July outfits and away we went. (Although we did skip the early morning hot air balloon launch!)
We walked around and looked at the various booths that they had.
We even found some toy chicks that reminded the girls of Chirpy and Smokey.
We found a baseball throw that I got dared into doing after our young friend. I managed to have the fastest throw of the day for a woman, even though I was only 2 weeks out from having a baby!
We watched our favorite reptile show!
We had snow cones to cool us off.
We played in the inflatable jump house.
We found the arts and crafts tent, which was heaven for Emily and Addy!
Cole even found a craft or two that he thought was fun!
Then, we finished the day by getting our nails and faces painted!
Addy still loves Nemo (from our trip to Disneyland)!
Emily got a beautiful butterfly.
And Cole did the boy thing and got a creepy spider!
Kaitlyn celebrated the day just like this! (But she did look cute in her festive outfit, even if it was a little big!)
Like I said, I was prepared to just let the Fourth slip by and save our celebration for the 24th. However, when we woke up on the 4th of July, the first thing Cole asked me was when we were going to the fireworks tent. Well, being my father's daughter, I couldn't very well ignore that request, so we left Kaitlyn with her Dad and away we went.
We mostly loaded up on smoke bombs
And tanks that entertained the whole neighborhood!
My son and daughter are so grateful that they were taught how to have tank wars!
Addy was especially into the smoke bombs. (She even figured out really quickly how to light them and then throw them. Probably not 2 year old approved, but thankfully no one got burned!)
Everyone is posing with a smoke bomb!
Then, that night, we got together with some neighbors and shot off fountains and a few aerials (now that they are legal in Utah).
Cole and his friend had a great time picking out what was going to be shot off next.
Kaitlyn greatly enjoyed the show as you can tell!
Finally, we broke out the ever popular sparklers!
A great way to end the holiday! I'm grateful we didn't just let it pass us by!

One Month Photo Shoot

One day I had the camera out and decided it was time to take a few pictures of our little runt. Kaitlyn was starting to be a little more awake and alert, so she actually made some cute faces and did more than just sleep. After I loaded the pictures on the computer, I noticed it was July 21, Kaitlyn's one month birthday. So, we'll call this her one month photo shoot!! (While she's just wearing onesie's in these pictures, she usually starts the day in a cute outfit but spits up all over it. By late afternoon, after spitting up on at least 2 outfits, she ends up in just a onesie!)

A good shot of all of her hair
Trying to find her favorite view...the fan
Sisterly love
A full body shot
One of her most common poses
Head Shot
The tongue look

Thank Goodness for Grandmas!

When baby Kaitlyn was born, the Grandmas came to rescue us! Grandma Lorna took the kids and entertained them while I was in the hospital and the flying Grandma came after that to cook, clean, and entertain. While I was a little preoccupied and didn't get many pictures taken, I do have a few.
Grandma held the baby when the kids needed a little mom time.
She brought games for them to play and then sat and played with them over and over and over and over!
She brought fun cookie cutters and then made cookies so they could use them.
Grandma also took them to museums, to get ice cream, and to their new favorite eating place...India Palace. I'm sure there were lots of other things that I don't even know about!!
Thanks Grandmas! We love you and miss spending time with you!

Kaitlyn's First Bath

When I mentioned that Kaitlyn needed a bath, I had no shortage of volunteers to help me give her one! Unfortunately for Kaitlyn, that meant the bath took twice as long and she got poked, pushed, and prodded twice as much!
Trying to get everyone a spot around the tub where they could reach her was a little tricky. It required several of us having feet and legs in the tub also.
Kaitlyn was pretty patient and actually seemed to enjoy the water.
Emily washed her arms,
While Addy washed her legs.
Thankfully she survived, got clean, and has since had much more pleasant bathing experiences! Hopefully she survives her sisters' love over the next few months!

When Mom Takes a Nap...

The girls become ghetto!
I'm not sure if this is Cole's influence or Chad's!
This is as ghetto as a princess gets!Baby ghetto look.

I am Loved

Since I was born, I have discovered that I have lots of people that love me and thus like to hold me!
My Siblings
My Grandmas
Some aunts
A Great-Grandma and Great Aunt
And lots of cousins. (And apparently this is only a few of them!!)
And though I haven't met him yet, I also get to sleep in a cradle that was made by my grandpa.
It's great to be so loved...at least most of the time!! And I can't wait to meet all of my other relatives.