Happy Fourth!

We had a wonderful day yesterday! We went down to Colorado Springs and had a barbeque/picnic at my brother's house and a surprise shower for my sister-in-law's sister-in-law (a little confusing, sorry). They already have two boys who are 5 and 8 and hand us down practically all of their clothes so this family has been quite a blessing to us. Now they are having a little girl--she and I are due two weeks apart!

Then last night the boys had what I consider to be a major right of passage. Maybe I am a tad bit more regimented or scheduled than I thought I would be as a mom, but what I've found is that you can be flexible and have all of the fun you want except for one thing--don't mess with the sleep. I almost always make sure I am home at a reasonable time for naps and bed because I think it's so important. Plus, who wants to spend the entire next day with crabby kids because they missed sleep the day before. BUT, I put all of that behind me and we all went to see fireworks last night! My parents belong to a country club that does their own show and it's incredible. You park 30 yards from where you sit, and you are in and out within 45 minutes. No traffic, no weirdness, just fun. I thought Joel would like it because it's so loud but I wasn't sure about Jesse. They both, however, really enjoyed it and we had a great time as a family. Joel's asking to see more...how do you explain the concept of "once a year" to a 3 year old? And--this is the biggest shocker--they went to bed at 10 (only 2-2.5 hours late :) but didn't wake up until 8:15 (Jesse) and 9:00 (Joel). I am writing this down for the record books because that has never happened!! We even went swimming today and they were in great moods! Plus, it's amazing how rested I feel sleeping for 10 hours straight :)!!

Zac is climbing some more giant mountains with his friend today. They try to get several in every summer and it always makes me a bit nervous. I think they are very careful but you just never know...he told me this climb has a somewhat "difficult" portion--as in, you can fall off a cliff. Oh, great. They both have pregnant wives to come home to so we are praying for extra protection! Why this is fun for them I cannot comprehend. They come home exhausted and sore but are already planning their next climb. I guess I'll never understand. My idea of fun is being tired after shopping at the mall all afternoon :).