the 4th of july.

Early in the morning on the 4th, my mom picked me up with Einstein bagels in her car and we drove to the parade in Provo to watch with Daniel and Erika. It was cloudy out, so the weather was perfect, until about halfway through when it started to get really hot. My mom "brought a little bit of grandpa to the parade" and clapped at everything. We saw a few big balloon floats, and some guys playing the steel drums! Oh how I want to drag my drum set out and play it again...

After about 30 minutes, and covering less than 5 miles to get home, my mom and I dropped some things off at my apartment and went shopping for baby things! Really, it was just yarn so my mom could crochet a little cardigan. We ate lunch at Cafe Rio, and came home so my mom could nap while I got things ready for that night. Zac came home from work a while later (he got off early! Happy 4th of July to us!) and helped me out.

After setting everything up, and making the most delicious cake I've ever made in all my years of baking, we had the rest of the family over for a BBQ outside, complete with homemade root beer, hamburgers and polish dogs (that Zac grilled himself--his first time--and they were delicious!), and homemade citrus watermelon popcicles! It was a blast, and Aiden made a few friends with some people who were using the grill while we ate. I think my belly doubled in size, too. You're welcome, baby Swenson.

After dinner, we played cards, ate cake, and lit some sparklers! It was getting dark by then, so we all drove up to Lehi and watched the firework show at Thanksgiving Point where we almost ended up watching them by ourselves, because we couldn't find Daniel and Erika. This baby must either love or hate fireworks, because it wouldn't stop kicking! It was adorable. My favorite fireworks are the gold ones that sparkle. I ooh'd and aah'd at them, but the one that exploded into the shape of a star was completely amazing, too!

When we got home late at night, I ate another piece of cake and went to bed with my Zac. It was such a fun day, and I loved spending it with my family. Happy Independence Day!

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