4th of July

Celebrating the 4th of July in Driggs is always so much fun!! Last year Glenn Beck came and put on an evening event for our valley. This year he bumped it up ten times! The extravaganza began at 11 in the morning at the Huntsman Golf Course. They had so much to do and all of it was free!! They had pig races, dog shows, bmx shows, car shows, and an air show. It was so much fun! They also had many different venders with all sorts of tasty food. One of the venders was even selling a hamburger that was used a glazed donut as the bun. I forget what it was called but everyone who had one, including Glenn Beck, seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe we'll have to try one next year. =)

Jenna and I took Boyd and Quin at 11 and we set up chairs and blankets for the evening event. You should have seen us trying to haul all of our stuff down by ourselves. I was carrying eight camping chairs and a full diaper bag and Jenna (who is 7? months pregnant) had all the blankets. So with our hands full we just had to rely on that our kids would listen well enough to follow us. We made it down and got a good spot for everyone. I just wish we could have gotten a picture of us pretending (or not) to be pack mules. 

After we set up our chairs we headed up to watch the BMX show while we waited for Andrew and Phil to meet up with us (they woke up early and went golfing at Teton Springs). The little boys loved watching the big boys ride their bikes. It was really neat because we were so close and they put on a great show with trick jump after trick jump. At one point Boyd turned to me and said, "Need De-Da's strider bike, mommy." I laughed so hard and thought it was cute that he thought if he had his bike he would be able to keep up with the big boys. 

After the BMX show we grabbed so lunch and headed over to the dog show. The little boys loved watching the dogs jump, catch frisbees, and weave between the instructor's legs. Then we got ready for the air show. About then the rest of the Moulton and Rammell families showed up. Boyd was excited as always to see his Grandma and Pop Pop as well as Beth and Quinton. The air show was great, but Boyd needed a nap so that he would last through the night so we headed home. Phil's family came over and we showed them our new place and showed them pictures from the trek. After a bit it was time to go back to Huntsman's for the main event. 

The BYU symphony played patriotic songs while we ate dinner and chatted. Pretty soon it was time for Glenn Beck. It's so refreshing to hear him talk about our country and to feel the love that he has for our little valley. While he spoke, Boyd and Quin watched Cinderella on a computer until it was time for fireworks. We had been talking about fireworks all day and Boyd was all worked up and excited to see them, although I don't think he really understood what it meant. He settled down with Phil and I and we watched the amazing show! It was probably the best fireworks show I've ever seen. At one point in the show they played a video clip of war veterans from the valley, a couple of them are in our ward. It was neat to hear what they had to say and I think we all felt a sense of pride. It was a bit emotional and I felt so grateful for all of the people, past and present, who have fought for our freedom and love our country so much. Boyd loved the fireworks. Phil kept pointing our different fireworks to Boyd and pretty soon Boyd was saying to us "Look at that one Mommy" every time!! After the firework show, Boyd would shout "FIREWORKS" at every loud sound or light. The night had made a strong impression on him and it was so much fun!

Sunday was a little crazy. We went to Uncle Roy's ward at 11 because we had to be to baby Tess' baby blesing at 12:30 and wouldn't be back to our ward until the second hour. We were treated to Elder Ballard and got to hear from him for a few minutes. Then we headed up to the baby blessing where Tess was blessed and we had a wonderful lunch! Phil had to teach his kids in Sunday School and I had to teach the Young Women during the 3rd hour. Beth took Boyd and put him down for a nap while Phil and I taught. My lesson went well and I was really happy. We talked about Overcoming Opposition and my family had emailed me so many wonderful examples that I could use and they all helped those girls understand! When I got home we got ready to head out to Idaho Falls for a little missionary reunion/report for Jared and Preston. It was nice to be with family, have delicious food, and hear wonderful testimonies  and stories from those two missionaries. On our way home, Boyd kept shouting "FIREWORKS" at every light once again. Trust me, it got a little old after a while. =)

Once we got to the valley we went straight to the shop and started getting our float ready for the next morning. After we brought the float to our house and put Boyd down we started working on our banner. Thanks to Andrew and Jenna we were able to actually get some sleep (3 hours I think) before we had to get up and get ready to go. In the morning we headed out early, drove down to Victor, and finished decorating our float. Phil's family showed up at the perfect time and we finished just as it was time to start. It was great and turned out better than last year! Even Boyd sat on the float this year. We got him a little clapper and he even got to wear a festive hat. He was so cute and probably the highlight of the float.  It was fun to walk down main street in Victor and see everyone cheering and see a bunch of our friends! Quinton and JT passed out flyers and Phil has already scheduled a bunch of windshields from it! So it was a success!