Vacation

California, here we come!  We head off tomorrow for the Allred Family Reunion (Brandon's mom's side of the family) and we'll be at Disneyland on Friday and the beach on Saturday.  Only thing we'll be missing out on is DADDY who has to stay home and study for the dumb Bar Exam.  But I guess it's pretty important.  :)  But hooray that it will be over next Wednesday!!  Go Brandon!  

p.s.  Happy Anniversary to us - four wonderful years!  

Hobbies

After my niece's little photo shoot that I did, my sister-in-law humored me and let me create her announcement too.  I'm not sure why this is so fun for me, but I'm learning a lot and am slowly getting better.  Brandon is also enjoying Photoshop Elements and is good at teaching me new tricks.

My latest project has been to organize and edit all of our family videos, which quickly multiplied after a certain someone was born!  This will take all summer, so when I need a break, I've been organizing our family photos and putting them in albums.  I've also been trying to decide if a blog book (using blurb) is worth it - the program is SO slow and kind of hard to work with.  

I've also been giving a lot of thought about what I should do with the mountains of pictures, videos, blogs, baby book, journals, etc.  I get overwhelmed when I think about what to do with all of this and what I'm going to want to keep and what my children will want to take when they're all grown up.  It would also be nice to have everything be somewhat the same and somewhat streamlined, but technology changes so quickly that I doubt I'll seem organized at all.  At least it's my own mess and that I'll be tracking all our fun memories - it's for me anyway!

A Very Happy 4th

I love 4th of July in Utah County - probably because both of our families have lots of fun traditions here.  The only tradition that I don't have pictured below is of the parade, which I'm kind of over, but will continue to do it for the kids.  

Here's Rachel and Brandon after the Hale Family water-fight.  I wish I could have got some action shots, but there is NO mercy, so I keep my camera in the car.  For the last 30 years, the Hale extended family gets together on the 4th of July at Aunt Rachel's house for a lunch, candy drop & water-fight.  After lunch there is a special "celebrity" appearance and candy drop from the second story window.  Brandon has participated in the "celebrity" portion since I've been married to him and he's been President Monson (does a great impression) and Barack Obama (this one was a stretch) and even more that I can't recall.  It's so funny!  Anyway, there's a candy drop for the kids, but water is dumped on them as they go for the dropped candy.  Rachel loved it and is such a trooper when it comes to water - bring it on!  Then the water-fight begins and everyone from the old to the young gets pummeled with cold water.  I wasn't around for Grandma Hale's last few years, but apparently she was in a wheelchair and they'd set her in the middle of the yard and give her a watergun and ammo so that she could participate.  Don't come if you don't want to get wet.  It's such a funny tradition!

Lots of family BBQ's - this one's in my mom's backyard

We always wake up early on the day before the 4th and head to see the Hot Air Balloons.  It was so fun to take Rachel this year since she really enjoyed it.  This year, my brother and his wife, Cindy, hosted us for breakfast at their apartment nearby - yum! 

We woke up Rachel to go see the fireworks outside of Stadium of Fire - thanks for the enthusiasm, Rach.  I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed in the fireworks and Rachel's reaction.  She wasn't as thrilled with them as I thought she'd be, but oh well, fireworks are so magical to me so we'll keep up this tradition.  

It is always important to wear red, white and blue on the days before and the day of the 4th.  It took Brandon a little while to grasp the concept, but he does good now ... and if he forgets, my mom is sure to remind him.  

We're so grateful for this country we live in.  Happy 4th, America!