Wow... We've Been Busy Bees!

Well... this post is only covering just the 4th of July! Whoa, Nellie! I take a lot of pictures... and this isn't even half of them, but they tell the true story!! I guess it does cover the day before, too... when we were just gathering and figuring out the final touches and details for everything, including the float! I was supposed to have it done before everyone got here, but it just didn't happen, so thanks to Tamie, Tiffy, Courtney, Heather, Megan, my mom, and the kids... am I forgetting anyone?? we pulled it off and won the float category in the parade! Yay! Plus we went to the program, had lunch, had fun in the water, weathered some thunderstorms, had a baby shower for 2, had dutch oven dinner and homemade ice cream, watched fireworks and other fun explosions (thanks to Cody and Nick), and overall enjoyed each other's company! It was a great day!

Here are Lexi and Braeden blowing up balloons for the float. I think it was just giving them something to do so they would stay out of the way for a little while because the balloons didn't make or break the whole thing!

Tiffy and her friend, Courtney, making the skeleton of the flag on the back. Tiffy is Cornell's youngest daughter... FYI.
Tamie hard at work making balloon bouquets! We literally worked ALL day on the 3rd on this monster! But it was fun... and mostly worth it!

But we did have to take some breaks... and Cornell was nice enough to let us borrow is 4-wheelers to take the kids for a fun ride! Here's Gma Pam and Ella!
Silly girl!! You may not be able to tell from the expression on her face in this picture, but she LOVES them and had so much fun she never would get off if you gave her a choice in the matter!
Later in the day we took both and went down to the well to get some FRESH, COLD, YUMMY water!! Gma Pam and Braeden... who took care of the speed control... yikes! :)

Me with Ella and Lexi on the back raised seat! We had fun, except for the bazillion grasshoppers that were swarming around us. Eeeewwwww!

Lexi, Gma, Tiffy, Courtney, Heather, and Megan, looking at Emma having a tantrum about her dad trying to take her for a ride. Meanies!
Emma and Cody. She wanted NOTHING to do with it!

Auntie Leslie and Lexi... just lounging for a while! And don't ask me why Lexi has a tissue stuck in her nose... I honestly don't know!

And here are the pictures of the AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL float! Fun stuff, and hard work went into this thing!

That night... of the 3rd, we had a BBQ at the house! Cornell and Tamie mostly provided for this and it was so fun to spend the evening with our family! Above is Cornell on the left and John on the right!

This is one of my paparazzi shots of Clint... who is on the phone a LOT!

Cornell had a hole in the bottom of his cup... and it leaked all over the table. He looks a little dismayed, doesn't he??

Christie is laughing because of the look on Ella's face. Christie wanted a Cheeto... and Ella did NOT want to share. She wouldn't share with Heather, and she wasn't about to share with Christie either. See her giving Christie the evil-eye??

Lexi, Leslie, Colleen, and Gma Pam getting ready for prayer.

After dinner we expended some more energy! Braeden tried his best to outwit Megan playing soccer... he's fast, but still not quite as good as she is!

We caught Tamie with all the little ones out at the swingset! And they were all having a good time! Braeden, Emma, Lexi on the swings, and Ella in her arms.

She got Lexi...

... and Braeden, too!

Then they played some Hide n' Seek... Where's Ella?

Boo! There she is! Though probably not the safest hiding place for a toddler... under a plastic tarp.

Braeden and Clint...

Me and Emma! She actually let me hold her! Yay! She and Ella are peas in a pod... if that helps explain anything about her personality!

This is how Lexi does a hand-stand! With the help of Tiffy and Courtney!

And 8 mo. pregnant Christie... Wow... this is TALENT!!

Ella doing a summersault!!

Weeeee...

A synchronized hand-stand... Tiffy, Megan, Courtney, and Heather!

They did pretty well, huh?

Megan holding Emma, and Lexi in the box!!

I got to drive because that is the ONLY way Ella was going to have anything to do with it! Lovely!!

I think we had 10 kids total on the float and 4-wheeler! Clint's neices, Sydney and Jocelyn, Lexi, Braeden, Chelsea, Ryne, Emma, Taylie, Ella, and Conner. Plus me driving, and Megan on child control duty!

Clint and Christie with his twin neices! Cuties!

If you can't tell by the above 3 pictures, we gave the kids not only candy to throw, but also Silly String to spray! It was the highlight of the parade! Yay!

Conner and Ella sat in the front with me.

And here's the back of it... we had almost everyone paint their handprints on it! What fun!! Thanks to those who gave in and got a little messy to help!

Ella and Conner watching the dance routine during the program!

Colleen, Leslie holding Lexi, and Josh holding Braeden watching the program.

The fiddlers playing while Bud waves the flag and hollers "Let's go"! It's just a small town tradition that's not meant to disrespect the flag or anything... just a tradition!

Ella eating her weekend staple: Cheetos! Nice! With her bandaged hand... that's another story... her hand got caught under the vacuum and it stripped the skin off below her thumb. Poor thing. It was a major owie!

Conner trying to figure out why the water won't stay in the cup... look closely!

Ella in the garage... with her non-matching flip-flops on, in her swimsuit... when she was supposed to be playing in the pool!

We were so lucky to have Angell's mom here with us. This gigantic waterslide was such a great source of entertainment! Especially since it took the place of the normal water fight! We had some thunderstorms and rain, and a baby shower that we don't normally do, so we didn't even have time for guns and balloons! Yay for waterslides!!!

Braeden had a great time figuring out all the different ways he could get to the bottom!

And Lexi followed suit... just not as gracefully, as you'll see in the next couple of pictures!

Lexi and Sydney somehow ended up here with the same swimsuit! Cute girls, same age, they had so much fun together!

Even Heather above, and Megan below, had a great time on it! Silly girls!

But we can't say as much for Emma, Megan's daughter! She was not a happy camper about this, but I just couldn't resist the photo opportunity!

And Dave and Conner got in a good, and much needed nap during the baby shower!
This is quite likely where Emma would have stayed the ENTIRE time if we would have let her... and if there would have been someone willing to push her the whole time!
Ella and Auntie Leslie blowing bubbles! Don't you just love Ella's facial expressions?? Priceless!

Christie and Jenny... our expectant mommies!!

Even the hostess got to have her turn in a couple of the games. Fun... what's in the diaper??? Or... what candy bar is in the diaper???????

Colleen was rather disgusted with this game, but she laughed just the same!
This is her reaction after looking at and smelling the one with Cookies n' Creme!

Clint and Christie are going to be getting a lot of this soon... although hopefully they won't be inspecting this close. Yucky! And Jenny is smiling, but I'm not so sure it settled well with her stomach... or anyone's! Sorry guys! I couldn't resist!
Ella and Uncle Nick! He came at my request. He took over Damian's regular position in the explosives department!

He even brought the potato cannon that Damian built several years ago, but the ignition was totally gone in it.

This is what happens when you put explosives in a hole filled with water!

Ella is trying her hand as the cook. Washing potatoes.
Gathered around to listen to the answers to the dinner quiz about my gma and gpa. Just a note... I would have won, but it wasn't really fair, since I grew up with my gma. Time for fireworks... and most importantly, sparklers!

And Ella hadn't had a nap all day, and fell asleep shortly after the first few sparklers were lit! She was totally done, but she had been REALLY good, unusually good for Ella, the whole day!

A great time was had by all. Above are the Navy pictures of my Grandma, Maida, and Grandpa, Maynard. We miss them, but it's nice to know that we will see them again someday, and hopefully they will be happy that we celebrated in their honor!

God Bless America!!