fourth fun

The 4th of July is a little different ball game down here in Phoenix! I'm used to parades, outdoor barbeques, swimming (ok we still did that), morning 5Ks, city festivals, and breezy nights on a blanket watching fireworks.

HERE was a little different story. The 4th just doesn't feel "fourthy" when it's too hot to enjoy outside (being pregnant doesn't help). We still had fun, but my heart was aching for good ol' Provo that day. No one does the 4th like Provo, am I right?!

We went swimming during the day to cool off and played a friendly little game of pool basketball. Then later that evening we went over to our new friends, Josh and Aubrey's, for a "barbeque". Fortunately the food was smoked outdoors but we got to eat in the air-conditioned comforts of home. Arizona style summer barbeque :)

After dinner we headed out to a local fireworks show, and it was still about 100 degrees! We stopped and got slurpies on our way over, which may have been the kids favorite part (ok and mine!)

kickin his feet back

 But mostly Emmett just enjoyed shining this little flashlight in everyones faces

And of course after the party comes the after-party (yeah). So we headed back to the Edwards for a little fireworks of our own.

And Emmett had his first experience with a sparkler... priceless.

It was our first holiday since the move, and I think we were both missing our families a bit. However we are grateful for new friends (and grateful it has cooled down since then!) And of course, it wouldn't be right to discuss the 4th without touching on our gratitude for our freedom and all those who have fought for it. God Bless the USA :)

snippets of summer

I was browsing through my camera today and noticed there were all kinds of important/adorable shots that I've never posted. Some of them are a few months old, but I'm just going to do a good ol' mish mash post and share them all anyway.

Jared's 25th Birthday (Back in June)

What kind of wife forgets to post about her husbands birthday?? Anyways, it was great and the cake batter pie I made turned out delish.

 

Taking Emmett to participate in the 4th of July Children's Parade

Emmett's new Boots with the Fur that he makes me put on allll the time (even though they were purchased for winter)

Like Father, Like Son

 (Remember this post about Jared?!)

*A funny little anecdote I have to add about these boots:

Emmett was sitting in the front of the shopping cart, helping me shop, when I came across these boots. I asked him if he liked them. He responded by sticking his foot straight up in the air, whimpering for me to put it on. When I did - he smiled really big, kept holding his foot up to look at it, started laughing, then proceeded to reach next to him for his sandal (the shoe he was wearing)... and chucked it out of the cart. LOL. He had made his decision.

Emmett at his usual post on the counter being my Sous Chef

I'm not sure how much raw brownie batter babies are allowed to ingest...but let's just say Emmett got his fair share. I didn't hear any complaints coming from him!

Joe Cool out for a Sunday Drive

Found the Sombrero Jared brought back from his Mexico trip and came running into the room all of the sudden wearing it (and one flip flop to boot!)

Decided he wanted to sit in one of his toy boxes one day

And one morning I had the carseat in house. I looked over at Emmett and discovered he had kicked back in it and was watching his morning television.



And last but not least, a cute baby on a summer day taking the time to smell the flowers

We are really going to miss summer!! Looking back over these summer pictures made me realize that in these past few months Emmett has really changed from a baby to a little boy (I'll be posting some recent pictures soon!). In typical mom fashion, it made me want to cry! Why do they have to grow so fast?!? Slow down and stay my little Peanut forever <3

Bakerella

My sister Kaity is interning with the City and helps organize the events/recreation. They had a big extravaganza for the 4th, and one of the activities was a bake contest.

I entered a couple different treats to support her. First up were my delicious Malted White Chocolate Kit Kat Cookies. The cookie dough itself has cream cheese and chocolate malt powder, and it is rich and sweet. Then you mix in white chocolate chips, semisweet chips, and pieces of chopped up WHITE Kit Kat bars. The result looks like this

Next up, I made Carmelitas. Mmm they are so good. They have an oat and brown sugar crust on top and bottom, and sandwiched in the middle is an entire jar of caramel sauce, a few chocolate chips, and chopped nuts.

Here I am proudly showing off my creations

Kaity went and snuck a peek at the voting sheet for me to give me an update on the standings. She said my Carmelitas were in first place and my cookies were tied for third! I was totally excited. Then they called everyone over for the announcement of the winners.

I was sitting there just waiting for my name to be called... Third place was announced. Wasn't me. Second place. still wasn't me.  Finally the time came for the grand prize (I was preparing myself to stand...) and NOPE it wasn't me! Can you say ripped off?!? Haha! Kaity says they must've not wanted me to win because I'm her sister and it would looked rigged. Oh well. At least we know who had the most votes. LOL

Oh and want to see what Em did during all this?

Ran around like a crazy man

Rode around on the golf cart (don't worry, we didnt drive with him back there)

and my personal favorite... had a ball with all the balloons

So despite not being recognized for my culinary skills, we still enjoyed ourselves! Next time right?

I am the Flag

Today in church a guy bore his testimony and shared a poem that is read at special events of honor in the military. It reminded me how strongly the spirit is connected with our country and its history. My eyes couldn't help but fill up with tears when he read this poem, especially because it was read with so much emotion and personal experience. A quiet reverance took over the room as he shared these special words. I thought I would share it with all of you in honor of this special day to celebrate our amazing country and freedom.

                                                                         ~ I AM THE FLAG ~

I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is Old Glory.
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America's halls of justice.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me. 

I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud. 

When I am flown with my fellow banners,
My head is a little higher,
My colors a little truer. 

I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshipped.
I am saluted.
I am loved.
I am revered.
I am respected.
And I am feared. 

I have fought in every battle of every war for more then 200 years.
I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appamatox.
I was there at San Juan Hill, the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest,Anzio, Rome and the beaches of Normandy.
Guam, Okinawa, Korea and KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me.
I was there.
I led my troops,
I was dirty, battleworn and tired,
But my soldiers cheered me and I was proud.

I have been burned, torn and trampled on in the streets of countries I have helped set free.
It does not hurt for I am invincible.
I have been soiled upon, burned,
torn and trampled in the streets of my country.
And when it's done by those whom I've served in battle - it hurts.
But I shall overcome - for I am strong. 

I have slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space
from my vantage point on the moon.
I have borne silent witness to all of America's finest hours. 

But my finest hours are yet to come.

When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,
Or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
I am proud. 

I am so grateful to have been blessed enough to be born in this country with all the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy. I have incredible respect and gratitude for the brave, valiant people in the military who sacrifice so much to defend its glory.  

Proud to be an American

We celebrated the 4th of July with a barbeque at my parents house. We ate lots of yummy food, played on the trampoline, and lit off some fireworks. Here's a picture of the Mud Pie I made for dessert. I made up the recipe myself, and I was so proud with the way it turned out! Oreo crust with delicious layers of fudge, mud pie ice cream, cool whip, peanut butter, vanilla ice cream, and then topped again with cool whip and drizzled with fudge.

Like my patriotic outfit?

I made sure Emmett was dressed for the occassion too, of course.

I've been working on getting my running back since having Emmett, and I thought it would be fun to run a 5K. So in honor of the 4th, Kendall and I did the "Freedom Run" on Monday.We set our alarms for 5am and headed down to pick up our packets.

 It was a ton of fun. There was almost 5000 people there, and the huge group of us stood and said our pledge of allegiance to the flag as it was raised at the starting line. Tons of hot air balloons were in the sky above us, and a guy sang the star spangled banner. The Governor was even there running with us!  Part of our run was along the parade route which was going to take place later that morning. People had already set up their tents and chairs and were camping out early waiting for the parade to start, so we had tons of people standing on the sides of the road cheering us on. We finished strong and were awarded with these lovely finisher medals. Don't we look so official?

PS- I did a few posts at once the other day so make sure you scroll down to see them all :-)