Fourth of July

I used to always make fun (behind the safety of my computer screen) of bloggers who whined summer was "SOOOO BUSY!" and "I NEVER have time to blog :(". Well you know what? I'm sorry. I'M SORRY. Because I'm now one of those people. Increasing work responsibilities, increasing church responsibilities, family functions...you don't want to hear my to do list. Basically, I've hit a point in my year where "Blogging" is pitted against "Make work deadline," "Feed screaming baby," "Attend meeting," "Show up - on time - to family event," "Maintain social life beyond the internet" and "Make nursery stop smelling like poop" (I'm looking at YOU, cloth diapers!).

So now, I present my 4th of July, via pictures and short snippets.

- Partied like it was July 4, 1999 in Huntsville, Utah! Events included horseshoing (please notice how posed and skilled my friend Melinda looks while doing this):



And then me...



Capturing a "baby bat" or largest moth I have ever seen:



Hiking and photographing:





(Stole the latter from Melinda's blog...but I took the picture playing with her camera, so technically not stealing? I will justify.)

...and playing a mean game of Apples to Apples, eating foil dinners and getting freaked out by the movie "What Lies Beneath."

- Watching the charming Huntsville parade. The best was the float "Huntsville remembers MJ" with a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing on a truck bed. I dressed Peanut in Fourth of July gear:



...or she's been wearing this same outfit for months, it just had red, white and blue on it so I called it her "Fourth of July" number. I can't be one of those moms who buys her children an outfit to wear just once for a holiday.

- Celebrated my dad Norm's birthday:



Four people had to light his birthday candles. I'll be polite and won't reveal his age. But it rhymes with "ifty-ight."

- Hung out with my brothers:



Trent here has been harassing me about updating my blog. I told him he should guest post, maybe about "What it's like being brother to the coolest sister ever." He suggested "Why Amelia sucks at blogging and what we need to do about it."



While one brother is a Blog Nazi, Ryan may or may not be inching himself into "Favorite Uncle Spot" by ridding Peanut of her unfounded fear of balloons and rocking her to sleep during fireworks.

- Laughed at my dad and his brothers.



- Got all artsy playing with my camera shutter during fireworks.











I've decided Fourth of July is my favorite holiday.