May the Fourth Be With You...

I feel it would be like rubbing it in if I went "there" when describing yet another Richfield Fourth of July Celebration.  I mean, you already know it's fairy tale qualities and it's red neck boisterousness and it's small town charm and the patriotism that oozes from it.

So let's just say, "Our Fourth of July Game is Strong".

Like, we're totally winning the categories of Parade Going, Candy Collecting, Fish Grabbing, BBQing and Fireworks.  Not to brag or anything.  :)

I'll spare you an extra helping of sap today and show you some of my fave images of the fourth in R Town.  Some day I'll probably see you there, because, whelp, how can one be expected to stay away?  I get it, y'all.  I totally get it.

And you know what we'll do to initiate you into the club?  We'll probably throw some water balloons at you from the back of Grandma's El Camino and we'll all have a good laugh and wave.  It's gonna be rad.  Pack your bags.

You can throw your kids into this chaos with mine... The Fish Grab.

I swear if they ever stop doing this, that means the world is ending.  

No Exaggeration.

It's the best.  And they are goooood at it.

We'll keep waving our holiday freak flags all month because:

A. We're Pyros

B. Red, White and Blue are our colors

and

C.  We've never met a summer party we didn't like

Yep, total party animals... on the Fourth, and every other day.

Park Ci-tay...

They are at these magical ages where they are social and happy and able to express themselves when they feel a bit of disdain.  To watch them with little people their own ages, particularly their cousins, gives me such a thrill.  I'm like, level 10 stoked when I see it all happening.

Especially in little man "Minute to Win It" style...

I don't even know who to properly thank for this particular afternoon of cousin time.  Maybe the men folk for going golfing?  Maybe Grandma or Kim or Nett for planning a relaxed afternoon at the condo after complete and utter overstimulation for DAYZ?  Whomever it was - it was rad.  And you deserve high fives all around for getting these little yay-whos together for some game time.

 And then there was our day at the Olympic Park...

Ace Face is gonna rock the XGames in a few years, clearly.

 It should be noted that my little five-year-olds rode the zipline at least a dozen times.  It should be noted that Ace was too small to ride the zipline but rocked the Alpine slide as a passenger at least half a dozen times, recruiting Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, older cousins and strangers to "Take Him Again!"  And it should further be known that RyGar and I rocked the "EXTREME Zipline" together once.  Because - whelp - duty calls and we spent the bulk of our time with the little people in our lives.

Which was just A-OK.

It should probably also be noted that these are ALL my pics from that day because I was fully engaged in playing.  Which felt great.  And when one spends some serious cash on a Groupon to get everyone a day pass - one makes it all worth it.  :)

Rockin' the Selfie, Big K.  Fist Bumps, boys.  :)

Gardner Fam Rebellion...

Ryan's family gathered together for a fam reunion this past week.  We spent our days recreating and our nights slumber partying together and we had a great time.

Day one was a big four-wheeler ride through the mountains.  Let me remind you, there are eight little misters ages 5 and under on this side of the fam.... so a lot of creative Razor riding was called for, as was one gallon of sunscreen, forty-eight bags of fruit snacks and MANY a QTip afterwards to finally clear out the dust from tiny ears.

And probably a lot more than MANY for Lynnett!  :)

Summary?  Heaven for a bunch of little man cousins.  And pretty close to that for RyGar and I who have never met a four-wheeler ride we didn't like. 

We went up AF Canyon where we stopped for breakfast and did some little hikes until we eventually made our way to Cascade Springs.  It was a gorgeous day and the kids had a great time collectively building a bridge across the streams rock by rock and eating pancakes off the griddle and splashing one another until nary a dry shoe could be found. 

 

When we made the trek back everyone was thoroughly dusty but Mike had the foresight to rent an inflatable water slide to let the kids have a "pre-wash rinse cycle" in.  They loved it and I loved that the first three layers of sunscreen coated in dirt largely made it's way off their little cheeks.

 And holy moly I bet you wait with baited breath for Part II of this little entry, eh?!  I know, I know, I'm cruel to lead you on in such a way, but alas, I think I've reached my max number of photos per post, so it's gonna be a two-fer.  More to come!