We've been looking forward to going to Soda Springs for July 4th for many many months, it's been 3 years since we've gone as a family. The plan was to leave the night before about 3:30, so we could be in Soda for our niece's birthday bash at 7. Our van was still in the shop but they said it would be done on the 3rd, so that morning I called to see when I could pick it up. They said 5 p.m. I cried and asked if they could get it done; I NEEDED our family to all be together in Soda. They said they'd try for 2:30. To make a long story short; we picked up the van 10 minutes before 6. BUT we made it to my parent's home with our whole family when everyone was still there, so I guess it wasn't all bad.
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| Everyone was super excited to hold Spencer and Max |
We all slept in the same room. Spencer and Max in the pack-n-play, William and Steven on this mattress on the floor, and Christopher and Ryan on the twin bed; though Ryan spent most of the nights under the bed.
On the morning of the 4th, the older boys and I went to the annual 5K race that multiple family members ran in, they all did amazing. Then it was off to the parade!
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| All 6 boys in the stroller walking to the parade |
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| Grandma meeting Spencer for the first time... |
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| ...and Max |
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| She wasn't sure she could hold both, but I assured she's done it before! |
William LOVED getting the candy...and running into the street to get it. There may have almost been an accident, but luckily there were people really watching out.
Ryan liked to sit back...
And eat the candy that others caught.
Josh, our oldest nephew, was so great with William and Ryan
Next we walked over to the park for some more festivities.
After I talked to some childhood friends, we found the shortest line to participate in: the train. The bigger boys loved it, but Ryan refused to go on it.
We went back to my parent's house for a BBQ, a tradition as well. This year we had all 8 of us siblings able to make it, so we thought we'd document it with a picture.
A grandma and grandpa with all 27 grandkids!
After naps for some of us, we went to the high school football field to watch the fireworks the city puts on. (This way the kids can run around and we don't have to fight the crowds.
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| Amazing picture I know, but that flash was bright! |
Steven and Christopher didn't get a nap, so after the fireworks I literally turned around and these two were asleep. William and Ryan on the other hand got a nap and had fun playing around and poking their older sleeping brothers.
Saturday we gave our boys a taste of what Soda Springs has to offer: First we met a cousin and her family at Hooper Park.
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| These tires have been here for decades! |
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| Our whole family on the teeter totter |
Then a taste of "Soda Water" from Octagon Springs (it's more sanitary than Hooper Springs) The only one of our kids that had tasted it before was Steven and he wouldn't drink from the sippy cup we had him try it in for months. But William and Ryan actually liked it! Christopher didn't like it, but drank it because we told him he couldn't spit it out. We also brought some Mio liquid drops to show the kids the magic of adding a little flavor to it. Everyone liked it then.
Then it was off to the geyser.
Running through the sprinkler for the older kids while the younger ones took a nap and I took Spencer and Max to see Grandma again.
We got a visit from my cousin, Ryan William Anderson. He wanted a picture holding William and Ryan.
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| Ryan, Ryan William, William |
Some ice cream from Arctic Circle.
And a little piano playing
We finished off the day watching a movie. Jacob went downstairs to put William and Ryan to bed. He was down there trying to put them to bed for an hour, he finally thought he had them settled before he came upstairs. About an hour later we came downstairs to go to bed and found this:
They didn't go to sleep and somehow found the food bag we had and enjoyed themselves in the dark. I'm SO glad we don't have them in the same room!
On the way home we stopped by to see Grandma and Grandpa Morrise in Roy. It was the first time Grandma met Spencer and Max, and it's always a treat to visit with them.
Oh and I'll leave you with this cute picture of our cute neice Esther. She adores the twins and Jacob. Seeing how this is the closest Jacob will have to a daughter, Jacob let her hold them anytime she wanted!
i adore so much about this post! you are gorgeously radiant! you are rockin' this mother gig! and i am glad you got to go even though it wasn't exactly as soon as you wanted! :)
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