Happy Birthday America

We spent the night at my parents' house, because we had plans to get up early and go to a breakfast in the canyon. But, I had to get up early and run. My parents' neighborhood is really hilly, and I was a bit nervous to be running in their neighborhood. I got up at 5am - it was still nice and cool. I ended up having a great run - I didn't want to go too far, since I had a busy day ahead. I just ran 2.2, but it was one of the best runs I've ever had. I loved running those hills. At one point I ran past one of those stop signs that tell you your speed, and it told me that I was running 6 miles per hour. I thought that was pretty cool.

I got the rest of the family up at 6:30, so we could be in the canyon early. G donned her "Happy Birthday America" tee and Bryn a patriotic jumper. They were so cute! Last year we had gotten there late, and we stood in line forever. It was still nice and cool, and the lines were short. We got the most amazing pancake breakfast, and the girls got balloons (which was probably the best part for them).

We ate breakfast, and then took a short hike around the lake. Gracelin walked the entire way, and Bryn made it most of the way. They loved it - especially Bryn who wanted so badly to get right into the water. We spent a long time just throwing rocks into the water.

After the hike, it was time for the "parade". Anyone who wants to be a part of the parade can put streamers on their vehicle and drive around. Its fun for the kids though. They throw candy and beads (G flashed them and got a whole handfull of beads). My kids got more candy than Halloween (I'm not sure what we're going to do with all of that candy either - we still have Halloween candy at our house, and Easter candy . . .)

Then we headed back down the canyon. The girls were exhausted, so after a sandwich we took a nap at my parents' house. Well - everyone else napped while I made potato salad. At 5pm (4 hours later) the girls and daddy were still sleeping. I had to wake them all up so we could head for our dinner at D & A's. The girls had so much fun there with cousins - it was chaotic. At one point, Bryn disappeared. We all spent about 5 minutes freaking out, before we realized she had disappeared into the bathroom to play in the toilet. Dinner was fantastic, but the kids were getting so tired. I felt like the mean mommy, but we left before fireworks began. We all had to be up by 6am the next day, and I needed to let the girls get some sleep.