It’s A Christmas Miracle

 
All five 

are looking in the general direction of the camera

No one is crying

No one is screaming

I was able to crop out the candy cane bribes

(that kept the two above mentioned things from happening)

They are all staying in the near vicinity of where they were placed

No one can see what Ryan and I were doing 

to get the above pictured children 

to do or not do 

the above mentioned things

While not all are smiling, 

the majority don’t look like they are being tortured

I count this venture a whopping success.

Merry Christmas to me

I survived the adventure with my sanity intact

Well, mostly intact anyway.

Happy Fourth of July (a week late)

We spent the Fourth
with Ryan's Family

6 of the 7 kids
were in town,
so it was
a huge party.

We started off by showing Aliyah
and Stephanie
Thanksgiving Point's Farm Country.

Our friend Margaret
was working the Pony Rides,
so we got an extra long ride,
all to ourselves.

We decided to take the wagon ride too.
When the driver heard
we were going to be late to the movies
she drove us right up to the movie theater
at the front of Thanksgiving Point.

We felt pretty cool
being delivered to the movies
by horse and carriage.
Evidently other people did to
( we got lots of funny looks)

Then it was home
for the family BBQ
and games.

And
trampoline time.

Miracle of Miracles
We actually got a picture
of all the grand kids
in one place

It took about 15 shots to get
1
where they were all looking


And then of course
Sparklers for all.

I let Cohen do sparklers,
and didn't think a thing of it
until Ryan gave one
to the little neighbor boy.
who is four
(Cohen is two)
The mom freaked out and yanked it away.
Muttering how could we have given him one
and how very very dangerous they were.

I guess I am a crappy mom
who loves sparklers
and the Fourth of July.
But Cohen and all the other kids
(except the four year old neighbor)
had a blast.

So did the big kids.

So sad
that Ryan's sisters
already had to head back home.
It was fun to all be together!