Proud to Be American!

We Love July 4th and all of the festivities & celebrations of our country and our independence!  It's my very favorite day!  And I love having girls to dress up in red, white, and blue:)

 

July 3rd - Right before the Children's Bike Parade:

 

Let's flash back to a couple years ago, shall we?

 

Awe, that was fun, how about one more?

 

Yep, definitely love dressing my girls up in stars and stripes!

 

I am NOT a hair person, but I managed to create a star out of Taylee's hair.  It was our 4th of July miracle!!

 

The bike parade was SO STINKIN' HOT!!! Poor Taylee didn't make it too far on her wiggle car.  Brielle, however, was a champ!

 

So was Kya Bear in her own way!

 

4th of July Parade!

Our little American beauty:

 

 For as sweet and happy as everyone was, we sure didn't get any pictures that portrayed that exactly.  We sure attempted though:

 

Let's cheese it up for a sec (This is the head tilt I get every time she asks for a snack or candy.  I see this tilt 20 plus times a day):

 

OK.  There we go.  Let's get back to real life again:

 

No, I liked the sweet and happy better!

 

 

Grandpa knows the secret to a child's happiness:

 

Taylee has been trampled at the parade every year.  It's kind of tradition.  It's always by a kid jumping to catch candy or a Frisbee or something.    Last year I swear she flew 4 feet in the air.  This year was no exception.  Poor thing.  Good thing candy makes everything better!

 

Uncle Tyson likes the 4th too I think!

 

The Richfield Parade never has a dull moment.

 

Backyard BBQ and Games:

After getting an "ice cone" (Snomania baby!), and a long nap, we had some fun visitors.  Trav's whole family came over, along with my brother and his wife.  The kids were in heaven!

 

Jordy rocked it on the slip n slide (But I'm pretty sure I won the contest of most graceful right guys? HA)

 

 

 

 I love summer, hot weather, family, food, parades, and fireworks (which I didn't get any pictures of).  What's not to love?  Brielle said it perfectly when she said, "Mom, that was the best day ever!"



Miss Taylee Turned 3!

From This.........

 

 

To This:

 

Man the years have flown by!  Taylee Jane is my little spitfire.  She keeps us on our toes and is positively hilarious!  I get tears in my eyes just thinking about how much I love this little girl. Truly.  She is an absolute joy and I'm completely honored to be her mom.

 

Every time I asked Taylee what she wanted for her birthday, she would say, "A toy".  One time she responded with, "An aurora doll for Brielle".  She didn't care about anything for herself, so we decided to throw a party because I knew she would be thrilled with that!

We ran with the red, white, and blue theme since it fit in so perfectly with the 4th which is also a favorite day of ours.  (PS: SO grateful for good friends! Jodi Solt was a lifesaver who came without even being asked to help decorate for this party since I was supposed to take it easy after a recent spinal tap, and Kirby Gardner grabbed a few things for me at the store.  Love them!)

 

I'm not positive but I might have loved those star cups even more than Taylee did!



 

A few of her favorite things:

 

Note to self: ALWAYS hire a young woman to be a helper for future parties.  Katy was SUCH a hit with the kids!

Probably the funniest game was Kiss the Frog Prince.  I was a little worried about having boys play this game too (with lipstick), but they loved it!  They were the best part to watch.....It was a hoot!

 

Birthday Girl



 

We played a bunch of balloon relays which pretty much just turned into a little mini water fight, but at least they had a blast with them.

 

We played "Drip, Drip, Splash":

 

Sponge Brigade:

 

This one was pretty cute.  The kids really did a great job not touching the sponge with their hands so I think they were all pretty entertained:

 Slip n' Slide:

 

And a bunch of different water relay's:

 

The kids seemed pretty darn happy for the whole 2 1/2  hours, which is great because I was completely beat! Halfway through the party, I saw my refection in the window and realized I hadn't put on makeup, done hair or even looked in the mirror at all that day.  It'd been nuts!  I was pretty embarrassed, and then Kirby added, "Oh and by the way you have a little something stuck in your teeth"!  Not my best day!  It was pretty funny though.   

 

 

Taylee's 3^rd Birthday Interview:
What is your name? Taylee
How old are you? 3
Where do you live? In Richfield  

Favorites:
Food: Ice cream.....Mom can I have some ice cream please? 

Drink: Ice cones (snow cones)
Toy: Books
Game: Ummmm..........Books? or Ummmmm...... Drip, Splash

Song: Twinkle Star
Book: (She looked down at the book she happened to be holding) This book.  (Caterpillar Spring, Butterfly Summer)
Dinner: Cantaloupe
Animal: Butterflies
Color: Pink
Movie: Super Why (??? I'm pretty sure it's actually Brave)
Princess: Piggies, no wait it's Tinkerbell

Favorite things to do: I don't know.....coloring?

 Place to go? To Grandma Rizzo's

Favorite sport:  Balloons
What do you love about daddy? Because

What do you love about mommy? Because I love her
What do you love about Brielle?  Because I don't love her
What makes you happy? Closing my eyes (What the???)
What makes you sad? Brielle does make me sad when she hits me all the times. (Brielle never hits Taylee, it's usually opposite!)
Who’s your best friend? Brielle
What is mom’s favorite thing to do? Coloring with us
What is dad’s favorite thing to do? I don't know
What does our family like to do together? Color I guess

What do you want to be when you grow up? A butterfly (She's  still holding the butterfly book)  (Brielle interrupts and says, "Well I wanna be a doctor and a cowgirl, and a mom".  So then Taylee says she wants to be a doctor too.  She does everything her sister does.)
What is your least favorite thing to eat? Dirt and cheese......Cheesedirt. (Brielle: Yeah like what if it rained and mud got in your mac n cheese, that'd be disgusting)
What are you really good at?  I’m good at projects (after Brielle whispered in her ear).

What was the best part of your birthday party? Ice cream sandwiches....Are we done yet mom?

What are you thankful for? Just Jesus

LOVE THAT GIRL!!!

 

 Anyway, we also had a birthday party in South Jordan at my parents home with her cousins.  Here we go:

Brielle went from being a scaredy cat to such a brave little turd!  Seriously, all of the sudden she was a wild woman, I was so proud!

 

Speaking of wild, Uncle Ryan and his family were there too, which is always great entertainment!

 

Ha ha, Kya's face!

 

Buckin' Whale:

 

Birthday Girl in her birthday suit: (Sorry, I had to!  Those tan lines are too cute!)

 

Grandma playing with Kya Bear:

 

Dylan is such a cute little boy:

 

Cayson shot Grandpa.  I'm grateful for parents who totally play along with their grandkids!

 

Cheeks! 

 

This is Brielle.  That's right......BRIELLE!  That little daredevil!

 

I love this guy and how much he loves water toys:

 

I'm kind of obsessed with this picture!

 

Ready to attack:

 

I love the look of bashfulness on kids faces after being sung to:

 

What a great Birthday Week!