Our favorite way to celebrate the 4th of July is to be with family and friends. We also love watching fireworks...so when you put it all together it makes for the perfect evening.
Fun games while waiting for it to get dark
Yummy snacks to fill in the gaps after dinner
How many kids can we get on Zeb's back?!?
This group of cousins is so fun!
We are so thankful to live in a country with so many freedoms. It is so easy to take it for granted when it's just a part of our everyday lives...but having the day set aside to remember how our country came about is a great reminder. We love being able to be ourselves, to be a family, to work the jobs we desire, to worship how we desire, to move about freely, and so much more.
All the smiles! Oliver is so full of life and just makes our hearts so happy.
We love our family tradition of gathering together for swimming, bbq, and fireworks. Definitely a highlight every summer!
Cousin Corinne came home from her mission!! She served for 18 months in Hawaii. We (the kids and I, Bryan had to work) got to be a part of the group picking her up from the airport. What a special day!!
We are so thankful to have so many wonderful examples in our family of Christlike living.
Mopping the floor with our bellies. Every so often I give in to the request. And every time they use too much soap and too much water. You would think I would learn. But, the extra water and soap makes for excellent slipping and sliding.
We also discovered that dawn dish soap works well as a grout cleaner on tile flooring. Turns out we have light tan colored grout...not dark brown. Who knew?
The shop vac definitely comes in handy while cleaning up the extra water and soap when it is time to be finished. Then comes the final step of actually mopping the floor. So many steps to complete a job. Sometimes turning it into a game makes the job a snap (maybe Mary Poppins was on to something), and other times it just means doing an extended job. Either way, the kids had a wonderful time and I got a clean floor out of it. Win-win!
Having cousins sleep-over is the perfect time for an early morning at the park.
We love having cousins nearby and always have a grand adventure when we get together.
Maggie made some absolutely adorable things for Bryan for Father's Day (I just forgot to put them with the June post).
Maggie loves to draw, cut, paste, color...basically anything creative and crafty. She also loves trying to keep up with her siblings. She was very motivated to learn to write her letters and spell words before starting kindergarten. She has exceeded my expectations and continues to amaze me everyday with her insights and sweet thoughts.
Abby uncovered this gem that she had done in school...and promptly lost when it came home.
What a fun way to learn math facts.
Lizzie just can't resist being in any pictures. She has some type of camera radar and comes running any time to camera is out (if she isn't the one asking for the picture in the first place).
Love her enthusiasm!
We started our family vacation with a stop at Gma and Gpa Sagers's home. In an attempt to keep up with the healthy goals over the summer, we recruited any and all to join us.
Some were more excited than others, but it was fun to laugh together as well all attempted different yoga and pilates positions. Also, can we just take a minute to talk about Abigail's amazing bedhead?! For whatever reason - her new haircut that she did by herself, the lack of humidity, the frequency of showers - her hair was a sight to see each and every day.
The next stop on the trip was meeting for SAS (Sagers Annual Shindig) at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. We saw a new side of Zeb while at the pool. He asked us if he could jump from the high dives and platforms. It was his idea. I wasn't even going to ask him. When he brought it up, we immediately walked him over to get the required wristband and waiver signed. For the next hour or two, he was constantly jumping from the high dives and platforms. This is the kid that would have a meltdown when asked (not even going on...just asked) to go on a fast roller coaster at theme parks. The kid that was always saying he couldn't do something because he was afraid of heights. He surprised us all and had the time of his life. We all had so much fun playing in the various pools, going on the slides and jumping from varying heights. We took a few videos of the bravery and tricks, but were otherwise too busy having fun to have picture documentation. Later that night the adults - minus Gpa and Gma who volunteered to stay behind with the grandkids - hit up the hot springs. I preferred the coolest of the options while others were in heaven with the hotter water. It was a fun evening filled with relaxed muscles, good conversations and lots of laughter.
Our final destination was the Porter Family Roundup, hosted by Uncle Craig and Aunt Virginia. We loved reconnecting with cousins and watching our kids connect and play together. There was always a good conversation to join, adventures, laughter, good food, fun games, flying from the eskimo blanket, bike jumps into the pond, dancing, snow cones, water fun...the list goes on and on.
The kids loved making their own horses for one of the games. They had to gallop on their horses to collect snakes to put in boots.
We attempted a family photo while we were all matching for the big group pictures.
How fitting.
Mom and Dad's turn...
I wonder where the kids get it from?
Sure love this guy!
"Mom, take my picture of me eating dinner!"
Water fun with the Porter clan wouldn't be complete without bridge jumping. We couldn't drive over this bridge on our way to float the river without stopping to jump. That would have been the crazy thing to do.
Zeb loved to vault himself over the edge. Abby jumped a few times. Bryan had to get one last jump in before leaving to float...and ended up cutting his foot on a branch. Ye-ouch! Nothing a little hydrogen peroxide and super glue couldn't fix. Thanks for the nursing help cousin Suzanne!
Oliver was in heaven. He was allowed to eat anything and everything that he desired, whenever anyone would share with him.
His favorite, chocolate, was in large supply. His love for sweets put smiles on everyone's face. Good thing he also enjoys fruits and some veggies. Somehow we'll get meat on his bones.
Daddy is the perfect snuggle buddy for early morning nap time.
That translates to kids having a rough night sleeping and crawling in with Dad.
We learned about our family history each night and learned about each other during a somewhat impromptu family talent night. We can't wait to have another reunion to see everyone again.
We had a few more adventures in Utah before making the trek home. Cosmo, BYU cheerleaders, and members of the BYU football team came to a local park to interact with fans.
So cool!!
Abby loved getting to meet with the cheerleaders and running in a race.
Zeb loved doing some of the football drills. Maggie and Lizzie loved playing at the park. Haha! Fun times for all.
Science can be so fun!
Lots of experimenting going on
Meeting up with Phil and Mandy's family at their nearby park and splash pad was a highlight!
New parks are always a fantastic adventure.
Abigail was invited to a taping of a Nickelodeon show. Cousin Jaida had auditioned and been selected to be a dancer on a lip sync show.
She loved every minute of the experience!!
Showing off her access sticker.
It's hard to believe that we packed so much adventure and excitement into one month! Maybe next time we'll just relax. Probably not.
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