So Much 4th of July Goodness

One blog post couldn't possibly contain all the goodness that our 4th of July celebration had to offer, so I will spread the love over several posts.

It started off with Bethany and Elinor meeting up at the city park on the morning of the 3rd  for a little KSL interview/ spot about the Riverton Town Days--Bethany as the "Queen" and Elinor was there with the Riverton City Youth Council.  The spot ran about 6:45 am on the morning of the 4th.  

In this picture Elinor is a little bit shaded, but she is just to the left of Bethany

This was the occasion for what will likely become one of my all-time favorite photos.
Love. Love. Love.

My mom passed away just before Bethany was born and I am 100% sure she has been instrumental in the influencing and raising of the these girls.  Because there is no other way they could be as amazing as they are without some serious help from the other side.

A little family outing for the first Slurpee run of the season. (minus Elinor who headed off to work-- responsible girl that she is).  At this point we are feeling all the exciting anticipation of the the evening's upcoming parade.

We are all decked out in our patriotic garb and ready for the parade.  This year, with Bethany riding on the city float and Elinor with the youth council-- our excitement reached a fevered pitch!

It's more fun with family and friends to share it with.  Here is a pic with the queen and a few of her subjects cousins.  She was giddily excited for this parade.  My favorite parade story was at one of the parades in another city. When the Riverton float went by, a younger boy put his thumb down and loudly and slowly yelled, "Nobody likes Riverton!"
So, yeah, she was excited to be cheered for by her own city:)

The crew set up at the parade.  We had ours spots reserved several days before and it got so crowded-- I don't think we've ever seen it as crowded as it was this year.

Grandma and Grandpa Cannon.

Abe and Cannon

Faith, Kaylee, and Takara.

Plenty of popsicles and otterpops to go around.

Greta and me.

Daddy and Gret.

The candy mongers.

Three generations.

Here's a cool angle of the float we don't usually see-- a friend sent this to us from the 2nd story of city building at the other end of the parade route.

It's not everyday you get to be the queen:)

It would seem that not everyone is quite as comfortable in the spotlight as Bethany--
If you look very carefully, you can see Elinor riding with the youth council.  Look about 2 o'clock of the front and center girl with long dark hair.  Elinor has a hat on backwards.  She did not appreciate us yelling and cheering for her.  She sort of pretended she didn't know us.   Rude.

I LOVE this moment!  Little Peter A.D.O.R.E.S his Big Peter Grandpa.  They share a name and I think they look an awful lot alike.  I dare say they may share a few personality traits as well!

So cute.

After the parade several of us came back to our house for a hot dog roast and a relaxing summer evening.

Moments like this are the true highlights of summer.

The "Russell" boys-- George Russell and James Russell.  There is also a Grandpa and Uncle with Russell in their names.  It's a good name.

LOOK!! Look what Andrea gave me for my birthday!!!  This quilt (that she made!) is so beautiful and the back is all minky material and I love it.  And Faith keeps trying to steal it from me and she puts it on her bed.  NO!!!! It is mine!  I am going to stay firm on this one.

The parade and the evening were great fun, and yes, Greta's outfit was completely over-the-top.  I make not apologies for it--we can't help ourselves.