Sunday Cody's family came over to visit. I was in the midst of a Babies, Toddlers and Children's Online Photography Class - taught by one of my favorite teacher's Nicole Hill Gerulat, and tried to snap some pictures of Brockton. After your grandma has taken over 500 pictures of you, I guess you just don't want to pose for the camera anymore. As a matter of fact, when I brought out the camera the day before to catch the sparkler fun, he told me to go away. Then he ammended it to "take the camera in the house."

Sometimes I gasp to get his attention. That's why you see such a serious look on his face all the time. He's looking at me to see what the matter is.

Brockton and I went out to the garden to TRY and take his pictures. We saw this dragonfly. Although I don't have a macro lens for this camera, I decided to take a picture anyway. I had to sneak up on the dragonfly. I think it turned out pretty good.

Fourth of July 2010

I love the 4th of July! When I was a child, I didn't even know they had parades on the fourth, until a friend invited me to attend it with her one year. Fireworks were watched from our balcony. I thought they were so great, until my brother invited me to the high school to watch them up close after I was married. Wow! Who knew that fireworks were so big and beautiful! After I was married and had kids, we would go to my Great-Aunt Alice's house to watch the parade since she lived on the parade route. Then we would go up to my sister's house (which was the house I grew up in) to go swimming and have a bbq. Then we would head down to the fireworks. It was a long, busy day, but we had fun.

I took the kids pictures out in front of the flag a few years ago and decided to do it again.

Cody with Brockton watching as the firetrucks approached.



Stacy in front of the flag.



She is such a poser! I LOVE taking her pictures!

By the way, Scott wasn't feeling well. That's why we don't have any pictures of him.

Jace

Cody, Stephanie and Brockton

Stephanie

Dallan - he's such a ham. This was one of his tamer shots.

After we moved to the city we lived now, we started attending their parade, which can hardly be called a parade, but we love it anyway. Then we go to the city park and join in the festivites. From Bingo (which I have never won) to the pizza eating contest, we look forward the activities every year. This year Cody and Jace were both waiting forward to the pizza eating contest, but they did it a little different, not everyone who wanted to enter could. They did it on stage too. Jace went up for the root beer chugging contest, though he didn't really want to and was then told since he had participated in that, he couldn't participate in the pizza eating contest! He was bummed.

I don't know how anyone can chug root beer. Too much fizz!

Cody has won the pizza eating contest every year for I don't know how long. This year there was a time limit of 2 minutes instead of who can eat the whole pizza the fastest. He didn't win. It was kind of a disappointment because we are so used to him winning.

We went swimming at Cody and Stephanie's condo after the park. It was a lot of fun. We went to my mom and dad's house for a barbecue around 5, my family was the only ones there this year. It was fun to spend time with mom and dad. Later, Cody and Stephanie came back over for a little bit while we were waiting for the fireworks to start. Cody lit some fireworks for Brockton. I wish I would have got a picture of his face when the spinning one ended with such a loud pop! Cody got out the sparklers and Brockton had great fun.

Cody told Brockton to pretend it was a wand and this is the face he pulled! I'm so glad I caught it on camera.

Then we went back to our city's fireworks. Great day! As the kids were walking back after the parade, I turned to Tracy and said, look at the tradition we started. The kids still love celebrating the 4th with us. It's tradition. We should start more traditions.