Fourth = Family, Fireworks, Fun, & Freedom!!!

We had a totally terrific Independence Day 2008! It started on Thursday with the parade in Salmon. The boys took their buckets and got some candy and several Otter Pops thrown to them! It was a nice, hot day and at the end of the parade, a Fire Truck hosed everyone down, and Ammon LOVED that!


Josh's sister Tiffany arrived with her family on Thursday night. We all went to eat at the Baldwin's who were hosting the Batz family reunion (they are Josh's cousins). On Friday, Josh's brother Gideon arrived with his friends Joe and Alyssa. Now that everyone was here, the Tolman Sibling Reunion was ready to begin! A huge game of Lightning (or as Joe and Alyssa like to call it "Knock-Out") lasted for a couple hours. We had a lot of people play! Grandpa, Josh, Kala, Gideon, Joe, Alyssa, Malachi, Jessalyn, and Ammon. Wow! We all sweat and ran and laughed and enjoyed it! Sorry, there's no picture of it-this is a photo from a round we played in May with just Josh, Gid, Mal, & Ammon.

Grandpa borrowed the Harris' (more cousins) barrel train, and pulled the grandkids around in it with the 4-wheeler all afternoon.

That night we watched the Salmon fireworks from Dump Hill. I think it's strange that that's the location where they set them off, but hey, what do I know? I'm from Utah where they set them off at a park so everyone can see them comfortably! It was an excellent 15 minute display, probably the best I've seen here. This is a shot of one of the "bombs bursting in air".

On Saturday, we had a nice lunch together with Malachi's friends the Whittiers. Then the adults played "Cranium" and "Taboo". I'm sad to say that the boys creamed the girls at Cranium!

All the grandkids had their photo taken together before Tiffany's family left. We decided to take it just as they were: dirty, wet, and happy to be at Grandma's!!!

Then Josh and I took our 3 older boys and Joe to see the BIG event: the demolition derby!!! The twins thought it was too loud! Ammon loved it, of course! Our neighbor Brian won the beer heat, and got a cooler of beer! Yeah for Brian! (His is the black car on the left backing into the beastly pink car)


We returned from the demo derby to have our own fireworks in Grandma's yard. Josh and Mal were the official lighters!

Everyone got to bed very late after night games. The next morning, this was the display. It looks like a big hangover of what took place the night before!

Happy Fourth of July! Hip Hip Hooray for Freedom and Independence! Like Joe said at the reunion, "we should celebrate this cause every day, well, minus the fireworks"!!! We are so lucky to live in this wonderful country, and I am so grateful for all the men and women who have made this country a free one. I am ecstatic to celebrate that!