The Fourth Of July

On the Fourth of July we decided to go to Orem to the freedom festival at Sera park.  Unfortunately we waited to go until after noon so it was approximately 8000 1/2 degrees so we didn't stay long.

Xander as a pilgrim woman

There was this neat mayflower replica

I don't know if you can tell by the trajectory where this balloon is headed

Xander in the stocks

Boppy chillaxin

Paizley playing ring toss

She managed a ringer

So the next three are all olden time games.  I don't really understand how you play them

Knight Xander

Knight Jinny

Knight Paizley....she didn't really love it the metal was kind of hot

Lobster Boppy

Oh say can you see?

Our firework arsenal

The peanut gallery

We have to get tanks every year for Steven

Lighting the tanks

 

Glow stick earrings

Boom!

Fountain

Heidi's Beating

Ok so not literally, it's actually a beading.  Last year when Heidi and Nate were living with my parents before embarking on the great Tucson pilgrimage, my mom conned Heidi into going to Wood badge with her.  I am determined not to get sucked into the scouting craziness.  I don't really understand how it works, but when you get back you have to "punch a ticket?" or some weirdness and then you get a tie slide for you neckerchief and the ceremony is called beading. 

Heidi and Nate were in Utah that week so that we could go to the Guster, Ben Folds Five, Barenaked Ladies concert at Usana.  It was pretty much awesome except for the annoying girls that sat in front of Steven and I who I was sorely tempted to punch several times.  I did manage to restrain myself though. 

Anyway since they were here my Mom invited a bunch of people and we had a ceremony in the park by my house.

 

Hailey and Jinny

I'm not really sure what the deal is with the mustache earrings, but everyone was wearing them.

Opening cerimony

Xander, Ryan and Colby conducted the flag cerimony

Ryan, Emily, Heidi and Deeder

My mom's probably going to kill me but I don't know if I really remember everyone's name.  Tom? conducted the ceremony.

Heidi getting her neckerchief.

Getting her beady thingy

The wall plaque

Luckily we were able to pass off another of Xander's wolf requirements and he helped Ryan fold the flag.

Goat's Reveal Party

My youngest sister Hailey is pregnant with her first baby.  She wanted to be a little different so instead of finding out the gender at the ultrasound, she had the tech tell my mom and then they had a reveal party where everyone would find out together.  Hailey was really hoping for a girl and her husband Zach really wanted a boy.  It was fun to find out with them what they are having.

We decorated a boy side and a girl side, you were suppose to sit on the side you thought the baby was.

Everyone brought a pink or a blue snack to share.

My parents put balloons in this tote to signify the baby's gender, pink for a girl, blue for a boy

Heidi joined us via Skype from Arizona

Ryan opted not to come so he was on Skype also

 

So I have a video of the whole reveal but for some reason Blogger is not feeling it.  Hailey is having a boy!

 

Hailey and Paizley commiserating about the boy result.  Paizley really had her heart set on another girl cousin so there was a little bit of a crying fit when she found out that wasn't happening. 

Pinewood Derby

Steven was super excited now that Xander is eight he gets to do pinewood derby car with him.  Although not excited enough not to procrastinate, I had to freak out two days before so he would get his crap together and get it done. 

Sanding down the body

It's all cut!

Painting. Xander decided he wanted a blue and yellow motif

Paizley had to have her own thing to paint so Steven broke out a ceramic set that she got for Christmas.

Painting yellow racing stripes for Boppy

Getting ready for the race

 

Steven is confident

 

The Race, Xander's car is the third from the right

This is Xander's epic fail face.  There were nineteen cars and we took somewhere between 15th and 19th place.  The scoreboard only showed the top fourteen cars.   I don't know why anyone was surprised we tend not to excel at anything. 

Xander still received a certificate and the pleasure of losing