4th of July in Burley

Our long standing tradition of spending the 4th of July in Idaho continued this year.  

It was our first time making the drive without our 2 big kids, and the first time in about 4 years that we have done it with 2 babies!  These cute, happy faces didn't stay happy for long.  The drive up and drive back were super rough on these two littles.  Lots and lots of crying and not much sleep happened.  Being little (and listening to lots of crying) is hard.  We left Thursday, July 2nd after work.  Ben was hoping to be able to get off work a few hours earlier than the normal 4:30, but that didn't happen.  We were at home packed and ready for him when he arrived at 5:00.  With the one hour time difference (losing an hour), a 6 1/2 hour drive with minimal stops, we didn't get to Burley until after 1:00 a.m.  With all the crying, it felt like a life time but we actually made pretty good time. Right as we pulled in to my parent's drive way, Olivia puked all over herself and her carseat.  Luckily she wasn't sick- she was just crying so hard and was so upset (and we had fed her so much sugar to keep her happy) that she triggered her gag reflex. 

The next day we headed into town for lunch to try out a taco truck.  We found a good one and it was delicious!

After lunch, a few of us headed into the hospital to visit my sweet Grandma D who has been struggling with her health for months.

She was so excited to have some cute little visitors.  And her cute little visitors were very happy to see her too!  She got to come home later that night, luckily, and was able to spend the weekend with all of us.

On Friday July 3, the whole range of Blakeslee's headed to Lake Walcott for a day of fun in the sun and water.

Aunt Amanda and Uncle Neil's paddle board provided hours of entertainment.  When it wasn't being ridden, it was being used for balancing competitions.

Who can stand the longest without falling off?  The two competitors would do all they could to shake the board and make his opponent fall first.

The loser would fall first and the winner was usually soon to follow.

Papa's raft was a hit for the younger kids.

Ben wins!

Jocie snuggled right up with Aunt Cortney and took a big nap.  Bad mom of the year award goes to me- I didn't really think she was in the sun, but the sunburn on her face the next day proved me wrong.  It was a pretty bad burn, just in one area.  I felt terrible.  Luckily it healed quickly and she wasn't too bothered by it.

Sometimes the board was used to actual paddle on. :)

Being at Grandma and Papa's always means rides on the four-wheeler.  Country roads are the best for riding on!

It also means frequent visits to the neighbor's horses, which is literally in Grandma's backyard.  The kids love feeding the horses carrots, but it is kind of a creepy feeling having the horse (and their huge mouths) eat the carrot right out of your palm.

Summer always means kickball (and baseball) games in the backyard.

Good form Chloe!

The Fourth of July was a beautiful day filled with lots of outdoor playing and fun.  Papa and Jocie sported their best Patriotic blue!

Grandma and her two little sweethearts! Notice Jocie's left side of her face... very red! :(

Not to be outdone, Livy needed to hold Jocie and get a picture too.

Grandma and Papa and 12 of the 13 grandkids.

Grandma D is an excellent baby holder.  Jocie took more than one comfy nap on her lap over the weekend.

The boys went out shooting in the afternoon.  Mitch was an excellent gun holder.

Mitch loves hanging out with the big boys and I love that Ben loves to let him tag along on all his excursions.

Later in the evening we played a wicked game of baseball.

Jax is the cutest player around!

Jocie loves Grandma!  And can I mention that she slept amazing this weekend?  She did 10 hour stretches at night for the first stretch and a few hours after a quick feeding.  She is a dream baby.

It was hot and there was lots of swimming going on.  I love that my dad loves to get in the kiddie pool and swim with the grandkids.  He has done this since Chloe was a toddler.

George has "favorite uncle" award all wrapped up- he is a big kid himself and is always willing to jump in and play with all the kids.

Chloe spent the weekend making up her own board game version of the phone app "Trivia Crack."  She did a really good job and had some fun and cute little trivia questions.

On Sunday, Olivia was calm enough to get a picture with Papa.  Ironic, as Saturday night she had the worst sleeping night of her entire life.  She woke up around midnight and screamed bloody murder for 4 hours.  Yes, that is hours and yes it was four.  We don't know what was wrong as she is not like this but it was a terrible night, as she was sleeping in the walk-in closet in the room we were sleeping in.  We hoped she would go back to sleep quickly but she did not.  We kept thinking that any minute she would give up.  She did not.  We knew that getting her out would probably make it worse, which even after 4 hours that was true.  This was the start of a very rough summer with a new Olivia who pretty much became feisty and irritable overnight.  Her sleeping was bad all summer long and our sweet girl seemed to be gone.  Here's to always being on your toes as a parent!

Our extended weekend in Burley was fabulous.  I love nothing more than quality time with my family.