Idaho Adventures, Part 4: 4th of July

So...before I talk about the events of the 4th of July, I have to talk about our adventures from the night of the 3rd after we got back to camp. There are no pictures, just words, to document these events.

We returned to camp after being at the lake and getting a quick bath at Grandma's house. We got things started for our dutch oven dinner. Things were going nicely and it started to rain really hard. So I headed into one of the tents with the little boys while the big boys saved our dinner from the rain. It only rained for about 10 or 15 minutes and quit, so we thought we might be in the clear and be all right for the rest of the night....BUT you know that can't be the case. So we continued preparations for dinner and even had Grandma Wilks join us. Garrett's mom and Hillary picked her up and brought her all the way up to our camp site for dinner--which is a big deal to get her up there, believe me! It wouldn't necessarily be her first choice of activities, that's for sure! So we got her there, got her across the bridge, and got all situated and pretty much the very minute we got dinner onto the table, it started POURING. And rainstorms in the mountains are pretty scary, especially at night. The lightning cracks and the thunder roars and it's scary! So we are all sitting there trying to stay dry under the canopy, with not much success--all the while Grandma is sitting there getting soaked too! So, the kids started getting scared and the rain keeps coming down harder and all it took was one huge flash of lighting and thunder immediately following and we made a run for it. We quickly got Grandma back across the bridge in the pouring rain and pitch black dark and all the kids in the vehicles and headed back down the canyon to spend the night at Grandma's house. So we all got there safe and sound--muddy and wet, but safe and sound. You should've seen the place. It was a zoo! We were piled in her little house and there were people or belongings everywhere you turned. We took all the beds, some couches, and some floor space for the night. But I think we were all just a bit relieved to have a place to go instead of trying to camp that night...

So, that also resulted in some VERY tired kids the next day. They went to bed so late and some didn't sleep so well and such. But we were up and at it and onto a day of 4th of July festivities. Garrett took Tyler to the sunrise service at 6 am with Grandma Wilks and then onto the breakfast. The rest of us went to the breakfast at a much more reasonable hour! And then we waited for the big event--the parade!

And now the parade in Paris, Idaho reminds me why small towns are the best for the 4th of July. There is a very patriotic feel to things...and it's all very simple and fun! The parade is like no other parade either since it goes down the street, gets to the end, turns around and heads back...so you get to see it TWICE! So here are a few pictures of the parade...








And check this out...we even had relatives in the parade! And they even won first place for their float (above picture)! It was very impressive!



We laughed beforehand about taking Tyler to the parade since the only parades he has ever been to are Mardi Gras parades, and let's face it--this is no Mardi Gras parade. And it was funny to watch him at first because he was kind of confused by it all and didn't realize that you actually have to fight for that piece of candy that is thrown your way. It's not easy! But in the end, I think he loved it and said he really liked getting candy at the parade (I have to agree!).

Remember how I said that everyone was tired after our crazy night? I think this picture says it all! Seriously these boys were zombies and we had to try pretty hard to get them going...



And where was Sam during all of this? How did Sam enjoy the parade, you ask? Just like this... (yeah, like I said...tired would be an understatement!)
So after the parade was finished, that was when we pretty much officially ended the Thalgott Family Reunion and started heading home. We had a ton of fun. It's always fun to be together and it was fun to see Garrett's grandma and some of his extended family while we were there. We headed back to Blackfoot that evening and did a few fireworks at my parent's house with my brother's family. I didn't get many pictures, just a few of the sparklers. Sam hated the fireworks...absolutely hated them and stayed indoors most of the time. And after fireworks, we called an end to our holiday weekend and Garrett prepared to fly back to NOLA the next day. Always a sad time, but the boys and I managed to fit in some more fun things during the rest of our time there...stay tuned.

Idaho Adventures, Part 3: Bear Lake

All righty roo...yes, these pictures are officially over a month old now. Aaaah! I hate being so behind on my blog. But some way or another, I am going to get caught up, really I promise!

So, on our big Thalgott Family excursion, Friday July 3 was going to be beach day. This was after a night of camping, which I have to report went fairly well. It was Sam's first time and he slept great until about 4 am and woke up itching like crazy because he had close to 4,000 mosquito bites (I swear!). He was miserable! So we were up for a little while and miraculously, he went back to sleep after about an hour, so I guess I'll just say it could've been worse! But I think regardless of how my kids slept, I still would have slept terrible because I was so worried about them waking up.

So, most of us were pretty tired for beach day, but it didn't seem to phase us! We stopped in at Grandma Wilks's house for breakfast and headed down to the lake. There's not all that much to really report about our time at the lake other than it was just the perfect day. I know I've probably been overusing the phrase "so much fun", but really...it was so much fun! The kids were in heaven, they got along, they were happy, we were all relaxing...it was just a really great time. The water was pretty warm and the great thing about Bear Lake is that it's very shallow for a long ways, so you don't have to be super worried about the kids while they play.

So with that said, I'll (pretty much) let the pictures speak for themselves...





(funny how they don't realize that when you try to wipe the sand out of your mouth, it only makes it worse!)


Cash had a few swimsuit issues, which resulted in a really sad and unfortunate sunburn the next day!
Tyler learned how to do the kickboard and loved it!
And even little Pierce got in on the action and loved his time at the lake!
Sam put a new meaning to having sand in every crevice. Seriously, it was unreal!


Uncle Todd dug out a big hole and it started filling with water and the boys called it the "hot tub" and jumped in and out of it over and over...



And a few quick family pictures before we left...the Kirwans definitely win the prize for the best one. They look much happier to be having their picture taken then the Thalgotts do, that's for sure! And I realize now that this is the only picture of me from the whole trip...I've got to be better about that!
And we headed back to Grandma's house, and then back to camp. And the boys were both asleep before we had even made it off the beach. All that playing can really wear you out!

And now stay tuned for the 4th of July, coming next...