4th of July!

I love everything about the 4th of July. I love the fireworks but it's more like everything that leads up to the fireworks is what makes the day for me. Like the traveling, the sun, the carnivals, the barbecues, the friends, the parties and everything else in between and to have fireworks at the end is just like the cherry on top. This was Ella's 1st Fourth that she was able to see fireworks. (last year she was only 6 months so we didn't bring her outside.) I was excited to see how she'd react to the fireworks. We left Tuesday afternoon for Cedar City to hang out with my family and spent the night. Joseph and my brother went to a midnight showing of Transformers and said it was so worth it. I on the other hand wasn't about to give up my sleep for a movie. Wednesday morning we woke up way too early to go to a free breakfast put on by my parent's ward. (I am all for getting a nice hot breakfast that I didn't have to cook or pay for) Then we took really long naps, and just hung out till it was bbq time. After the barbecue we set off for St. George to meet up with our friends, the Cox family. It was nice to see them again and catch up. I love it when Ella and their little boy, Gavin, can play together b/c they play so well together. They actually share, and are nice to each other. They even give kisses and hugs. Here is a few pictures of Ella trying to kiss Gavin. I don't think he even knew what she was trying to do but she kept giving her 10% waiting for him to give the other 90%. lol. She wouldn't give up either.




Ella ended up really liking all the colors and the sparkles of the fireworks but not so much the loud blasts. She kept running to me or daddy and wrapping her arms around our necks as tight as she could. After about 5 minutes of worring about all the loud blasts she decided it really wasn't gonna get her and then she got a little bord and started playing with the glow necklaces and braceletts. She had a lot of fun running all over the park and getting to see all kinds of neat people and different things.





There was a playground, one of those big carnival swings and one of those big blow up bounce gyms that looks like a castle. There were tons of vendors and even though we didn't buy anything, it just set the mood.
Here is Joseph and Ella walking to the park.There were so many people there that we had to park a few blocks away.


And here are a few more pictures from the night. We got to meet up with some old friends the McBrides and the Coxes. All of us girls in this picture are pregnant and all due about 4 weeks from each other. (don't worry about me being bigger than the other two. :) )



At the end of the fireworks show we drove back home. Ella played with her glow sticks for a little bit but then fell fast asleep. She was sooo pooped from such a long hot day. St. George was 114 degrees! Crazy! But we did have a lot of fun.