Kaitlin is back

My sister has been a missionary serving in the Jackson, Mississippi mission and just came back this last week.

We went down to Pasco to be there when Kaitlin got home.  My mom texted like 25 minutes before they would arrive so we went outside to wait.  The kids did a lot of scootering.

It was great seeing her again after so long.  Adam wasn't too sure at first.  But he is an easy going boy and warmed up to her quickly.

That evening was my parents' ward's pioneer party.  So we went to that all together.  There was yummy food.

Adam shows off his messy hands.  He likes to hold a fork and try to eat, but he isn't good at this and ends up using his fingers instead.

Here we are back at my parents' house.  We asked a neighbor to come over and take a picture.  Notice that Kaitlin still has her missionary tag because she hadn't been officially released yet.

This adorable baby is my other sister, Kylee's baby.  She was so cute and friendly.  They are going to live with my parents for a couple of months so we will get to see more of them.  My kids were really excited about this baby, so I have high hopes that they will do well with our new baby.

And just in comparison - here is Kaitlin and my crew.

And here they are right before Kaitlin left.  You don't really notice them growing until you look back like this.

Welcome back Kaitlin!  I am glad that your mission went so well.  You are a good example for all of us.

Happy Fourth of July

So I am a little behind, if you can't tell by the title, but we had a great Fourth of July this  year.

Will has been talking about taking the girls camping.  But we didn't have to go far - just my parents' backyard.  We decided to go for the Fourth.

And it isn't camping without s'mores.

I love Adam's face.  He was shocked at how sticky his roasted marshmallow was.  It was really funny.  Then he quickly wanted it off because he doesn't like being dirty.

My parents tradition to share the Fourth of July breakfast with neighbors continued.  There was a good turnout and the food was delicious.

Then we quickly made it to the parade in downtown Pasco.  This parade has always been a bit short, but not this year.

Here Princess Ariel gets a ride and waves at the kids.  My girls loved the princesses.  They also loved getting lots of candy this year.

We came back to Hermiston for the evening because some friends from our ward invited us over for a potluck barbecue and games.  It is hard to tell but Megan is holding a water balloon.  The girls got soaked but it was plenty warm for drying off quickly.

Adam learned how to throw pop rocks. He liked the noises they made.

Some of the families brought little street fireworks.  These were very exciting for the kids.

This scared me.  Lots of little kids with little flames.  But everyone had fun and most people were very careful.

We watched the fireworks from their backyard.  My camera didn't take the best pictures but you know what fireworks look like.

It was a great day.  I am glad that we live in this free country.