Happy 4th of July!!

We had a wonderful time today! It was so nice to just sleep in for a little bit (amazingly, all 5 of us slept in) though that did make us a little rushed to get to Rexburg's parade. We left a half hour before the parade was supposed to start and when we got there we could not find a single spot to sit right next to the road. Instead, we parked ourselves in the shade of a building and started to watch the parade there. Eventually Robbie took the girls to stand out in the road with the rest of the kids to see the parade and get candy. The girls got a lot of candy, some paper fans from a local insurance company, toothbrushes from Rexburg's only pediatric dentist (which I find amazing that there aren't more since there are SO many students with kids) and half-pints of chocolate milk. There were dancers, bands, gymnasts...cool cars, fly bys from the local aviation museum, and a water truck from our local national guard that was spraying the crowds on both sides of the street (luckily we missed that...well, I think it was lucky-Robbie wanted to get sprayed). The girls loved the Cheerleaders, the baton twirlers, the dancers and the gymnasts (Gwen's favorite were the gymnasts). They also 4 contestants from the local Jr. Miss pageant. Robbie told the girls to look at the princesses (they were wearing gowns so to the girls they looked like princesses) and say hi to them. Gwen said hi princess to one and she turned around, asked Gwen if she could have a hug and Gwen was so thrilled. She got a hug from a princess!! It made my heart fill with joy to see her so happy-her grin was ear to ear.

The parade was almost 2 hours long, but after an hour and a quarter had passed by we decided to head over to the park where the parade was scheduled to end. There were booths of food and crafts that people were selling and we saw some friends from our ward (who are also from New England) at a face painting stall. Both of the girls got blue stars painted on their cheeks and a free popsicle for sitting so nicely (and then Gwen picked most of the dried paint off of her face on the way home from the parade). We sat a while to feed Georgia and had some really juicy, wonderful hotdogs.

When we came home we all kind of relaxed for a while and surprisingly all 5 of us took a nap at the same time (Georgia fell asleep, then me, Grace, Gwen & Rob-at about the same time). After waking up, feeding the baby and the girls having snacks we went outside to take some pictures. I had Robbie take them since the screen on my camera is still not working, and all though the girls didn't cooperate like I wanted we got some really good pics (some of the pictures are on my side bar where I show each of the girls, their nicknames and birthdates). My babies are getting so big!! At least three times today at the parade we were asked if we had twins (Gwen & Grace). This is something that happens to us at least twice a month. Gwen and Grace had matching outfits today, and while they do not look similar, they are pretty much the same size and so could pass as fraternal twins. One lady was actually shocked to find out that they were a year and a half apart. She saw us walking down the side walk as she was getting out of the car and she told us that when she saw us she thought "Oh, what cute twins!" Robbie and I told decided that the next person who asked us about it we were going to say we did have twins, but after that last person no one else asked us. We got a lot of looks like "Oh, they have twins" but no questions. How funny!

This evening we went to watch the Rexburg fireworks. They've always been a small time show, but this year you could tell that they just didn't have it in their budget for a lot of fireworks. It was fun for the girls though. They ran around and played with a little boy, tried to play frisbee, and played with their glowsticks and necklaces (again, pardon the fuzzy pictures...my camera screen doesn't work so I don't know how they turn out). Georgia slept until 10 minutes before the show started, and I thought that I would go ahead and feed her because I thought the show wouldn't start for a little while longer and it would last long enough that I could get her fed. Wrong!! The show started before the sky was completely dark (and we think it's because there was a storm cloud rolling in) and only lasted for about 15 minutes. You could tell they were really stretching out the fireworks that they had. Still, they did a good job, and the girls had so much fun snuggling with their Daddy while watching them, so it was worth it. We came home, Robbie fed Georgia while I gave the girls baths, and they are now fast asleep.

While watching the fireworks I kept thinking about how this is the Promised Land, and although this is a day to celebrate our independence from Great Britain, it's also a day to remember that the Lord brought our ancestors to this land and that it's a free land thanks to his blessings and love. The freedom we enjoy are promises that the Lord gave if we and our ancestors were faithful and obedient. Something I never really thought about before while watching fireworks, but a thought that really got me asking questions and wanting to look into more. I am very greatful that we live in a country that is free...that we don't have to worry about wars and poverty and famine so much in this country as you see in other countries in the news. I am greatful that the Lord continues to bless this land and those of us who live here and love the Lord. I couldn't ask for a greater blessing than to live and raise my family here. Our Heavenly Father is truly a wonderful and loving being!! Happy 4th of July!!