Fourth of July...celebrating freedom from casts

We started our 4th this year at the Provo parade. We were fortunate enough to have some friends camp out and save seats for us. It was great to get out with everyone and celebrate our freedoms.

As the day got hotter, Vanessa responded in true form by chugging Dad's pop.

Nicole responded in a more Lisa-like way by kicking back in the shade.

Nowhere else in the world that I know of has missionaries in a parade. It was awesome to see them march down the street.

After basking in the sun, we decided it was once again time to hit the pool. We were able to get in a good hour of water time before some little kid pulled a surprise out of his pants, set it by the side of the pool, and jumped back in. We decided that was a good time to head back to the car.

To finish off the day, we had a great dinner with the girls' Utah grandma (Teresa) and her family. It was really nice to relax with them and enjoy good food. Vanessa didn't respond to well to the fireworks, so we cut the night a little short, which was good considering we had an early appointment for Nicole the next day.

Here we are enjoying one whole hour of cast freedom. It was really fun to see Nicole get to stretch out her little legs. Her procedure went really well (she had her Achilles tendons cut) and she is resting very well today.

Here are some other recent highlights

It's been really neat to see how much these two little girl love being around each other. Despite the usual jealous tendencies of a 2 year-old, Vanessa seems to be developing a special bond with her little sister.

We recently discovered a gem in Spanish Fork (one more reason to move here, Michelle). The city built this reservoir a while back, which has provided us with a free way to cool off. We spent a Saturday here with our friends Brad & Cassie, and Ian & Monica.