Stadium of Fire

I love the fourth of July. I love the celebration of our country and our freedoms and who doesn't love a good firework show? The fourth of July has always been a family favorite and our tradition was to attend the Stadium of Fire every year. I don't have any pictures from the actual Stadium of Fire but my dad spent over $1000 dollars on fireworks to shoot off the evening of my grandma's funeral to send her off in style since she also loved with the holiday.

Aren't these outfits darling?? My mom's friend made them for all of the girls.
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They legalized aerial fireworks in Utah this year so we had a great show. Sadie critiqued the fireworks and they were pretty as long as they had pink or purple flames.

Tanner and his new friend Aksel enjoying the show together.

Grandma LaRae

My Grandma LaRae is the only grandparent that I have ever been really close to. She is one of my heroes, closest friends and I have always looked up to her. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to visit with her a few last times and to take one last picture with her before she passed away. My grandma's funeral was beautiful and so many people came to show their love and support. I already miss her so much. I love you, Grandma!

Sadie Pie & Dashy Boy

Washington

A couple of weeks after we got to Utah, Matt and I took the kids to Washington to visit Brit and her family. It was a blast and we loved all of the time with our cousins. Washington is gorgeous and they had the most beautiful view from their house. There was no shortage of running around outside or swimming. We had a great time and look forward to going back and seeing their new place.

The view from where they lived.

Sadie and Ella riding a pig at the yummiest BBQ restaurant, even as good as most Texas BBQ.

Goofing around.

Sadie and Dash became best buds. Sadie still talks about her "Superman-Dashy Boy."

Matt took all of the kids swimming almost every day. He's the best!

New Best Friend

Shelby is my parents' golden-doodle and the girls' new best friend. Sienna is in heaven having a puppy to run around and play with. It is hilarious watching the kids interact with Shelby. Even Tanner lights up and starts laughing as soon as he sees the puppy.

Irrigation

Irrigation water comes once a week and it is one of our favorite family activities. My parents own the property behind their house and have put in a playground, garden and other fun things for the grandkids. The girls love helping grandma, grandpa and dad manage the water and make sure that every part of the yard gets covered. They also love picking out their "boats" and race them down the ditch. The girls ask to go play at the park every day but now the park is conveniently in our backyard and we love it, especially when our cousins get to come play with us.

Goodbyes

I have gotten so behind on blogging and now it is hard to find the motivation to catch up. Part of the reason I haven't been able to update lately is because we have been so busy since moving back to Utah. I worked the first two weeks in Utah and then we went to Washington to visit my sister and her family for two more weeks. Another reason I haven't posted anything is because I think some emotions or feelings I have about leaving Texas will be better bottled up for awhile. I am so attached the my friends that I made in Texas and I miss them so much. They became my Texas family and I think about them daily. Each of my friends deserve their own post about how much they mean to me and why I love them so much but I will have to do that another time. Here are some of our closest friends that we were able to see right as we were leaving. (I cannot believe I didn't get pictures with everyone that surprised me at my last girls' night and some more of my very best friends... it makes me so sad!! Please know I still love you!!)