4th of July

I am late in posting this but I really want to stay on track so I am writing this anyway. We started our own family tradition of going to the pond for swimming and fishing. We have always invited my side of the family to join us but it has always been the Childs side that comes. So now we consider it the tradition we do with the Childs side. We have enjoyed it these past few years. Jason is so good to help the kids with fishing. He helps them bait it and sits and waits by all of the poles while the kids play and then alerts them to when there is a bite on the line and then helps them to reel it in. Aunt Amy gave most of the kids fishing poles for their birthday one year and so most of the kids have their own pole to fish with. Sometimes Grandpa Childs will come out and help with the fishing as well. We caught a lot of fish this year, but mostly little blue gills. There was a kid watching everybody fish and he found a long stick and a line with a hook on the end of it that had been cut. He tied the line to the stick, cast it in the water and caught a fish right away! Jason helped him out later by helping him put a worm on his hook and the kid joined in with the rest of us.

 Aubrey and Olivia and Maddie mostly stayed on the swimming side and had fun splashing around playing mermaids and also playing in the sand.

Around dinner time we pack up and head out to the Murray Amphitheater to meet up with my side for the fireworks. We have to go pretty early so we can get a good spot. We play games and eat dinner and just play around outside while we wait for it to get dark enough. The kids enjoyed doing some sparklers while they waited for the big ones.

Once it starts to get dark enough, we pack up everything but our chairs and blankets, spread out and hunker down for a good firework show. I think my camera got a few good shots.

This year was a different sort of 4th of July of course because it was our first without Grandpa Newby. We all shed some tears and missed him playing with us and having fun. We still played the game that he and Maddie started playing a few years ago of, "guess what color the next firework is going to be." But of course it wasn't the same. I miss my Dad every day but I am so grateful for all of the wonderful memories and traditions he left us with! The 4th was a special holiday for him because he loved his country and was proud to serve in the United States Air Force. He taught me to have pride in my country and to always honor those who sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms that we have and to be worthy of such a sacrifice. Thank you Dad for being like Captain Moroni and reminding me what we are truly fighting for!