Sparklers

One of the best parts about the 4th of July is the fireworks and the sparklers, but if you have been to a good fireworks show before sometimes it doesn't seem worth watching the little ones, unless you have kids and love fireworks like I do.  My boys have been excited about the sparklers since they started seeing them in the store a couple of weeks ago.  It was fun to see how they get so excited and actually hurried to do what I asked so we could do them.  The boys love to find the ants on the sidewalk and burn them, I know how nice. 

Mason only started one thing on fire and that was some wrappers that were sitting on the ground.  It sure made Tyler nervous.

Elly was not very interested in them, she was actually more scared of them then anything.  When Jay set of some firecrackers she really didn't like that.  She hates loud noises.

While the kids were doing sparklers I was messing with the camera trying to see what I could do with it.  The kids loved having me take a picture and then come back to look and see how cool it was.  Tyler was trying to write is name but he wasn't fast enough, he only got the T.

This one of Mason kind of looks like he has horns.

I don't know how to make it so the kids look good too.

I even talked Jay into doing some for me so I could practice more.

This was funny to watch them all try and do it at the same time before one of their sparklers died.  The boys, including Jay had fun doing this.

This one is of Jay writting his name. 

Since I am always the one taking the pictures I had Jay take one of me that night with the kids. 

I love doing sparklers, it always reminds me of when I was a kid.  I remember trying to see if we could run all the way around the house before it died on us.  I remember wearing fussy bears, that was what we called the pj's with feet in them that zipped up for those that don't know what those are, while doing sparklers and how much fun it was because we always did that as a family for almost as many years as I can remember.  I remeber one year having a family visiting us while we were doing them and we were worried that one of the kids was going to start one of the cars how fire.  I laugh everytime I think about that night.  So sparklers have always been something that I love to do with my kids because of the good memories I had because of them as a kid.

Fourth of July BBQ

For the 4th of July we had a BBQ at Jay's Grandparents house.  It was really fun to do it at Grandma's house so they could be a part of it.  We had good food and good desserts.  Plus the kids had fun playing with their cousins. 

This is Elly with one of her favorite little cousins, Portor.  They were eating their brownie fine until Jay took it from them because he thought they were eating someone elses brownie.  Neither one of them was happy about that.

Some of the little kids that we had there.

When ever we get together we have to have a baseball game.  Mostly someone pitches while all the kids hit over and over again, but they love it and had a great time.

Tyler

Mason

Even Elly had a turn.

Wade (a cousin)

and Beau (another cousin).  I thought that I had a picture of Luke but I didn't get one that was good at all, but he was there playing with the kids too.

The fight Tyler and Mason had on third base.

Elly had a great time if you can't tell from her dirty face and her dirty dress.

Here is a picture of all the great grandkids that were there with Great Grandpa and Grandma Stilson.  We were missing three more that didn't make it.

Mason

Mason is my kid that loves to have his pictures taken but not because he is going to smile really nice, it is because he wants to pull all kinds of faces and then look at them right after and then see if he can pull a better one right after.

These ones all turned out really cute and without him pulling to much of a face.

Cooling off!

Since we have had such warm weather when the boys friend came over to play we put the sprinkler under the tramp and let them cool off.  They loved it.  It was nice because I got to sit and visit with his mom while they played.

Tyler doing his front flip.  The three step process...

step two...

and step three.

Visiting Family

We went home a few weeks ago to visit family and see my new little neice get blessed.  It was fun to see my sisters cute little kids that have moved back home.

Gracie used a black marker as lipstick and when we laughed when we saw her she didn't like it but how could we not laugh at this.

My sister and her family.

While we were there visiting Mason got his first buck.

These boys thought this was pretty funny and needed me to get a picture of it.

This picture of Elly was cute so it made the post.

This was a really sweet picture of Mason.

Mason kept trying to shoot my sister with his toy gun.  His smile was so cute.  He had a good time shooting at her.

Elly loved it when my brother brought one of the horses out to show us how he could ride him.  Sometimes she acted like she really liked the horse and other times she acted like she was scared of him, but when he took it away she cased after him crying so she must have liked it.

This is her first time on a horse.

Tyler was with us but he was out playing with the older cousins the whole time so I didn't end up geting any pictures of him.

Trampolines

A trampoline has been one of the best toys for all the kids to enjoy.  All three of my kids love playing on it and they can do it together if the boys will be careful of Elly.

I love how Mason's hair looks after he has been on it awhile because of the static.

Tyler is getting pretty good at his front flips on the tramp.

Most of the time the boys are just crazy on it and Elly sits and watches them.  What a great toy!

All curled up!

I curled Elly's hair for the first time a couple of sundays ago and it looked really cute for the ten minutes that it lasted.  I am trying to decided if it was worth the time since her hair didn't hold the curl. It did make it look like she had more hair then she does, atleast from the back.  Her hair in the front is still coming in.

Gymnastics

Today was the boys last day of gymnastics for the summer.  The boys loved it and want to do it again, but I think we will hold of on that for awhile so that we can just enjoy what little summer we have left.  I am excited to be done with all that kind of running around, but now it is time for all the reunions to start so now we get to start doing that but I don't mind that so much.  I wish that I would have taken some pictures of the boys but I never did so just imagine a class of all boys running around have a lot of fun and you pretty much get the picture.  They got to do it with their cousins and some of there friends so that made it more fun for them.