Happy Independence Day

We had a great 4th of July this year, even with a few fatigue tears thrown in to the mix. On the 3rd, we attended a stake orchestra/choir concert. It was a fantastic reminder of what independence day is really about. We live in an amazing country, even if at times it is riddled with political strife and legislation I don't necessarily agree with. We are given much, and thus much is required of us. I realize I need to be better educated about what goes on in our nation, and find out how I can enact change.


Our friend, Jake Westwood, returned home from Iraq on Thursday morning, and they made special mention of him at the fireside. We're so happy that he's home with his five girls. Thanks, Jake, for serving our country and defending the freedoms of Americans and others who can't defend themselves.



That night we enjoyed the fireworks show put on by the city of North Las Vegas. The boys loved the fireworks. I have to admit that I am a nazi mom when it comes to bedtime and I think this might be only the second time that we have ever attended a fireworks show. We did pay for the late night Friday with some supreme grouchiness from both munchkins--supreme grouchiness. And did you know that if a 2 year old eats too much licorice that the diaper the next day will actually take on that color? Good stuff.



On Friday, we went to Summerlin to party with our friends, the Ellisons. It was a great day because Livi was home from the hospital! She got home on Tuesday and we visited her Wednesday and then went over for the 4th on Friday. She was even off her TPN for the day so she got to go swimming (though the water was ridiculously cold--how, I wonder, can anything be cold when it's 110 degrees outside? This is the mystery of Las Vegas. Do they chill the water? We don't know).






We ate a delicious dinner--tri-tip, barbecue chicken, ribs, potatoe salad, corn, and a lovely Pavlova for dessert. I might add that we ate outside and the weather didn't seem that oppressive--we must be getting used to Vegas. Rachel and Bill's neighbors are from New Zealand and Britain, so the conversation was delightful and made me wish I had an accent. The New Zealanders actually have a 10 year old and a 13 year old, so Todd loved the evening hanging out with Livi and getting some rough and tumble with the big boys.







Then we got the Summerlin fireworks from the Red Rock casino, another good show. The evening ended with major tears of exhaustion, but luckily, Ben only cried for about three blocks before he was sound asleep.



Overall, a great weekend.