We had a lovely Independence Day, though it started off slow for me. I didn’t sleep well, so everything seemed “late.” Then I chose to just move forward, and I was able to keep going the rest of the day.

We went to our local Independence Day parade and had a nice spot near the beginning of the parade. The benefits: get a good seat, get to leave before the made rush, kids don’t have to wait another 10 minutes to see the beginning. The downside: lots of candy for the kids. This particular parade doesn’t usually have a lot of floats, and the kids don’t seem to mind. We managed to find the same area we had last year, and it was just perfect. Some friends joined us, and fun was had by all.

Ella and I

Peter playing “freeze ray” – he likes to freeze in a funny position, even if he wasn’t in it before someone said “freeze!”

Peter and David

Aurora

Lightning

Ella

Peter

Wendy

The ponies were one of the kids’ favorite entries.



I love that you can see our reflection in the Copper Car. Click on the picture to see a larger size. Then if you click on the larger image it should zoom in more.

Wendy “fanning” her friend.

The tractors were also a kids’ favorite.




Fireworks sure are hard to photograph!

We had a nice barbecue with David’s family, and then we headed home for some neighborhood fireworks and socializing. Our next door neighbors are moving in a few weeks, and we wanted to spend another holiday with them. They have generously hosted our Independence Day gathering for the last few years, and we’re really going to miss them.

I’m grateful for God’s tender mercies and answered prayers. I had a prayer in my heart for the safety of my children and loved ones. I also asked to see God’s hand in my life that day, and He provided! I’ll share a couple of them:

I forgot the squirt bottle for keeping us cool at the parade, and it didn’t matter because Heavenly Father provided the cloud cover, a light breeze, and sprinkles of rain throughout the parade. What a blessing!

Then at the neighborhood gathering, we had an incident with a firework. Out of the two aerial fireworks in the whole display, one tipped over and shot two rounds at our crowd. I can see God’s hand in keeping everyone safe. They shot near two adults who would know what to do. In one case, an adult ended up getting hit with it and he flipped over before it popped and injured him. If he hadn’t been there, the child behind him on a chair could have been hurt. We’ll either not use them again or secure them better next time. I used to get really freaked out by things like that, but I was amazingly calm and so grateful.

Isn’t it wonderful to have a loving Heavenly Father who answers prayers and shows His hand in our lives if we just seek it!?!

How was your weekend? Did you see God’s hand in your life?

Comments welcome!

I’m so proud of Lightning for choosing to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this beautiful morning. The Spirit was strong, and I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter boy! Lightning was so happy and excited all morning long. He seemed extra attentive to the talks and what was going on while he waited for his turn to be baptized. It was a Stake baptism, and I have never seen so many children being baptized. There had to be around 15. Needless to say, the chapel was packed with people and they opened the gym to accommodate all of those in attendance. The counselor in the Stake Presidency joked that it looked like Stake Conference.

Our ward was last and had three boys being baptized including Lightning. I didn’t mind so much, but all of the children in the congregation seemed to. We sang so many songs that I almost lost my singing voice. David got up and bore his testimony during one of the breaks between songs. Finally the time came to go to the room for the baptismal font was so full of people, there was standing room only. I was so grateful to get to watch it. I’m sure no one would have argued if I stood in the middle just so I could watch the ordinance, but I didn’t need to. After all, I was his mom!

David baptized Lightning and later confirmed him a member of the church after they were all dried off. Lightning was so cute and happy when it was all over. He’s such an angel boy!

I’m so grateful for our many friends and family who came to support Lightning. We enjoyed a luncheon on his honor at the pavilion near our church building. I was sad that my dad couldn’t stay for the luncheon because it had taken so long (nearly two hours) and he needed to go back to work. Other than that everything else seemed perfect. We were so blessed to have everything go as smoothly as it did. I didn’t even feel stressed about it. I let the whole day just flow from one thing to the next. My planning had paid off, and with the help of the Spirit I remembered everything I needed to do.

Something we’ve missed in the past is doing a family photo before or after an event like a baptism. This time, I made sure to get one! One of the benefits of having a photographer as one of my best friends is that she can take a nice, quick family picture! Thanks, Tamra!

We tried getting Peter to let Ella hold him, but he wanted his Dad…and his Dad’s ears to hold!

We spent the rest of the day letting the kids play while we rested. I didn’t realize how much the excitement and planning took out of me. I ended up with a headache but even that didn’t dampen my joy.

Lightning, I pray you remember this day and keep it close to your heart, always! I know I will!

My family and I had a ball back in June at This Is the Place State Heritage Park. I was using my friend‘s camera again. I took lots of pictures, but here are only a few of my kids. I took quite a few scenery pictures, but I’ll stick with my kids for now.

Lightning

Peter

Ella

The Family (minus me) waiting for the train

Peter, on the train

The kids (minus Peter)

Riding the Ponies
Ella and Peter

Wendy

Aurora

Peter and Ella

Lightning

Aurora

Petting the Animals
Wendy, Lightning, and the lambs – the lambs were so soft!

Peter, Lightning, Wendy, and Aurora

Wendy and the kids