4th of July

    Fourth of July week was a blast! And exhausting. It was our first week of real summer weather and maybe we weren't quite conditioned to being on the go so much or maybe we're just getting old and not used to staying up late quite as often. But it was all worth it and we have since caught up on our sleep and energy. Early in the week, Amy's family came up to stay with us. Soon came Beth and Brennen and our adventures began and didn't ever stop.
   We first ventured over the hill to Jackson and went to Mormon Row. It had been quite a while since our family had been and a first for Clark, Brennen and many of the little kids. We had a great time walking around, remembering stories and just being in awe of what life might have been like to actually live there. As well as to be connected so closely to something that is so famous and majestic! The kids of course had a great time chasing the ground squirrels and visiting each building and trying to sneak a peak inside.
   Next we skipped back to town over to the bouldering park where the magic continued! Not only did we get to enjoy that park and rock climbing, but a cute and amazing little farmer's market popped up as we were getting there. We scored some awesome kettle corn as well as some amazing maple syrup. I could see us not using that syrup because it's so good--so good you don't want it to run out, hence you never use it. =) We also decided to just grab some dinner there too and we got way too much. Pizza, tamales, and Indian food all somehow made it to our small little table. To wrap up Jackson, we headed to the square for more ground squirrel fun, the candy shop and ice cream.
   The next day was the 4th and of course we headed down to the parade. Somehow we scored the perfect spot with good parking, right next to the Brakeman which  is where we ate after. The parade is one of my favorite things and being able to see so many people we know from the valley IN the parade makes it so special! At least that's what makes it special for me, the candy makes it special for the kids. After the parade we snaked some tables at the Brakeman and then headed out to the river to canoe. Pop Pop and Grandma came too, which made 4 canoes, the perfect amount to spread out the littles. Sadly Riggs had already slept for 2 terrible naps and was pretty grumpy on the river. Thankfully Phil did all the paddling and steering like a champion so I could just manage Riggs. Teamwork, cha cha cha!
    Of course the 4th would not be complete without dinner and camping up at Roy's. It was a little crazy and thankfully we had a small window where all FOUR of my kids slept in my room. During that time we prepped food for breakfast the following morning and Phil hauled up our camper to snag a spot. Dinner was great and then we headed back down to our house for fireworks. The city of Driggs changed the location of where they set up and it happened to be very close to our house, so we just watched them from our yard. Then once again we headed back up to Roy's and finally went to bed! Riggs slept amazing in the trailer and I even got to sleep in with him! Uh huh! Camping miracle! Don't worry, it happened again the next day too! Woot woot!!
   The next morning we had an amazing breakfast of sourdough pancakes as tradition requires and Phil made some bomb bacon that he home cured. After breakfast lots of people headed up to Targhee to ride the lift to the top. It was fun and also freezing up there. Then we headed down to the lower lot and did a little mountain biking for Amy and Emmett. Phil, Boyd and Brennen got a taste of a longer ride, up Andy's and down Mill Creek, finishing up just in time for the fish fry back at Roys. See what I mean? Non-stop fun! Lots of people left after dinner but we stayed and continued partying through the whole next day. When we finally made it home, we were wiped out, but it was one heck of a week!