Celebrating 250 Years!

Happy 250th birthday USA!!! It was such a fun day of celebrating. Megan took these cute pictures of the boys... cute little firecrackers! We gathered for a nice steak dinner at 5pm and got to have the missionaries over for dinner. That was really fun... everyone was here except for Brooke and Ben--we missed them this year. They were up in Wyoming for an Israelsen family reunion. Our dinner was so yummy-- steak, baked potatoes, a yummy salad and watermelon... and Megan brought a yummy triffle red, white and blue style with angel food cake and strawberries and blueberries. It was soooo good! After, the missionaries left a message with the Elders singing to the ukulele a song that Elder Howard had written about the First Vision. It was a beautiful song! Elder Holmes is going home this next week and we had a really good visit with both of them. When they left, everyone went swimming and outside to play pickleball. Logan was cold so he came to me to cuddle... that's my job! We went back and forth to the water though, as soon as he warmed up each time... he loves his "squishees". We enjoyed the pool along with the beautiful AZ sunset! When we started to hear more firecrackers and see lights in the skies, we went to the front yard to set off our own. Luke and Logan LOVED helping Grandpa set them off. Boys love that kind of stuff! After the fireworks were over, the Polley's went home and Bill, me, Katie and Kaden watched the surrounding fireworks all around us from the jump wall at the pool. There were shows and neighbor's displays all around us! It was fun. Then we played half a game of Shanghai Rummy with McKenzie and then we played a game of Rook with Katie and Kaden. They beat us, but it was a really good game! Kaden kept getting amazing hands! They left late to go back to his parents' house and I cleaned up and went to bed... good day celebrating a remembering that freedom isn't free. I am so grateful for this country and all the freedoms we have! We are fasting in gratitude for these freedoms today and tomorrow and asking that they be preserved and kept for our children and future generations! Happy 4th of July!