Oh Beautiful!
Sunday, July 05, 2009 - Posted by Sunny - 5 comments

There's nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer. - Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle

I call this picture "Waves of grain and purple mountain Majesty above the fruited plain" I know this is kind of random in a post about the 4th of July but it's patriotic. At least the song is. :) This wheat is growing in my back yard. The previous owners lost some of their food storage wheat on their way out and come spring we saw something sprouting out of it. We figured it was just grass or something. But one day we discovered that it was very much wheat! We NEVER watered it it got snowed on multiple times but our little volunteer wheat just plowed through it and grew like a champ. Which got me thinking. Why don't people grow wheat in their gardens? I totally want to grow some on purpose next year. Derek thinks I'm crazy. I should have been a farmer.

So for the 4th we decided to go up to Idaho last minute because we hadn't been up there since ...um...LAST 4th of July. Pathetic! One of our reasons for going up was that Hyrum was getting some crazy hair and needed a haircut.

Derek got his first haircut (and many subsequent haircuts) from a man named Herb Shurtliff in Idaho Falls and this man has cut the hair of three generations of the family but I didn't think to have him give Hyrum his first haircut. My dear mother-in-law had made an appointment for Hyrum with him for the day we went up there last year but didn't tell us so we got his first hair cut by someone else the DAY we went up to Idaho. Someone has to tell me these things!! I'd felt so bad about it that I wanted to make sure he got an official Herb haircut and we'd just pretend it was the first. Unfortunately he was playing with grandma's MANY trains and tripped and fell on the train and gave himself the beginnings of a black eye.

But he still gave us a show of his muscles on the way to the barber shop

Hyrum continues to prove that injuries just make you look tough.

After a few pleasantries and a switcho chango from Dad to grandma's lap we got down to business. He was soo good with Hyrum. He had Hyrum turn on the clippers so he could feel the vibration and had Hyrum hold on to the cord.



It worked for awhile...


But then the tears came

Hyrum must have wanted it to be an authentic first hair cut. Tears and all. But I'll take it when the end result is this...

I absolutely LOVE his haircut. It almost makes me want to drive all the way up to Idaho for every haircut he gets. SOO cute! ( and yes the curls are still very there )

We had some fireworks at home after a long day of playing which Hyrum loved and wanted more of. The next morning we got up early and headed to the parade.


We just happened to sit down (by the kindness of strangers) next to the Arnells', the family of one of Derek's friends from high school. It was good to see Chris, Caleb & Mykaela and fun to see the parade.

But we both had obligations at church the next day so we had to come back before the fireworks. All too soon we had to leave. But we were glad we made the trip even if it was short.

Hyrum immediatly fell asleep in the car exhausted from playing with grandma so hard. I'm sure she did the same after Hyrum left. We let him sleep a half an hour and woke him up. After miles and miles of Hyrum asking for friends and fireworks we talked to some other friends that had invited us to spend some time on the 4th with them. We stopped in Kaysville for some fireworks and fun.

They were having a carnival before the fireworks and Hyrum wasted no time playing hard some more.

He was a little hesitant as he climbed in the bouncy castle



but figured it out fast!


Sadie Jenkins is one of Hyrum's oldest friends. I guess they were just destined to be friends because her parents and us are friends and her mom and I were pregnant at the same time. Since I was a first time mom and full of questions and Jenn was a third time mom and would answer them and since we were due a week and a half apart we betrothed them while they were in utero. They didn't hit it off right away but they've become fast friends over the years.



He was a bit hesitant at the top of this ride but Sadie would gently nudge him towards the edge. They had so much fun together. One woman actually asked me if they were twins. :) I took that as a compliment because she is aDoRaBle!

Sadie wasn't with us once when we went to this ride and Hyrum, hesitant at the top, got some help from a little boy he didn't know and ended up on his face.


He wouldn't go ANYWHERE without her after that. We'd be walking to another ride and he'd stop and say "Sadie! Sadie Sadie" until we went and got her.

We really are just joking when we talk about them actually getting married someday but when we see things like this we think...maybe.


After he kissed her on the cheek she stood there with an adorable starry eyed grin on her face. Soo cute!

After the Carnival we went back to our blankets and did some sparklers. We were hesitant to give a flaming stick to our crazy son and he did have it heading towards his mouth once but we let him experience this staple of childhood under strict and vigilant parental supervision.


After that there were snacks and every kind of glow stick imaginable. Necklaces, braceletts ( 2 kinds- not colors...kinds) barettes and earrings. Did you know they made that many incarnations of glow stick? Neither did I, but we decided to make it a 4th of July tradition.

Then the real fireworks began! They were set to music. So much so that when they lost the speakers they stopped the fireworks until they got the music back to where they stopped and then continued them. What was really funny was that when the music went off suddenly the lyrics to the song continued til the end of the phrase. I had no idea so many people sang to the fireworks.

About half way through the fireworks Hyrum stood up and walked over to where the Jenkins were. He laid down with them and ended up snuggling between Jenn and Carter ( their oldest).



Molly( their middle) came over with us for a bit but that didn't last long. Everyone loves the Jenkins...so do we! Everytime we hang out with them we wonder why we don't do it more often. We wish they lived closer.

The drive home was long and late but worth it. Who needs sleep anyway! :)


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5 comments:

    Jenn J. said...

    We had lots of great fun with you guys and we were so happy you could come by! Truly it's you guys who everyone loves, and we were glad you came with us even though it meant getting home late. Tell Hyrum that he can come play anytime. He's too adorable. We really do need to get together more than we do.

  1. ... on July 6, 2009 at 7:00 PM  
    2. Nikki said...

    Hyrum was sporting a bit of an afro! Cute new haircut! :)
    *side note: You just commented on my blog while I'm commenting on yours!*

    Looks like a fun 4th weekend!! That little Sadie is a cutie. I'm glad Hyrum got to see some fireworks. :)

  2. ... on July 7, 2009 at 9:09 AM  
    3. Nikki said...

    BTW- what are you going to do with the wheat when you harvest it? Will you take it to the mill like the little red hen?

  3. ... on July 7, 2009 at 9:10 AM  
    4. Stephen and Gabrielle said...

    Just so you know, you aren't the only one who wants to grow her own wheat:) I have aspirations of someday baking a batch of bread that is made from wheat I grew myself. Hope that helps you feel less weird (though it still qualifies us to be 'herbs':)

  4. ... on July 8, 2009 at 7:58 AM  
    5. Holly said...

    I LOVE the picture of Little Buddy in the orange shirt! He is so stinkin' cute, I could just take a big old bite out of him! Just as sweet as 4th of July Apple pie! I CAN NOT wait to get my hands on that kid. 140 days... (or something...) :)

  5. ... on July 8, 2009 at 10:04 PM  
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