4th of July Weekend 2016

My fourth of July weekend started on Saturday and it was a day of many firsts for me. I was invited by Jaina and Donna to go see Tim McGraw perform at the Stadium of Fire. I had never been to a concert before so now I can finally cross this off my bucket list! I'm glad I went even though I struggled with the decision as I went back and forth all day deciding if I'd take the extra ticket. The reason I hesitated is silly now but I have never missed Addie's bedtime and I felt sad about it. It was weird knowing I would leave that night and not see her until the next day. I knew I would peek into her room either way but still I thought she would care if I wasn't the one to put her to sleep. Turns out it matters more to me than it does to her. :) It hit me that day that I haven't had a girls night since having my daughter. If I leave to go see my sister or some of my friends I always bring her along. I'm with her so much that I don't know how to not be with her. Danny pushed me into going with his mom and sister because he knew I needed to get out of the house and I'm glad he did. So it was my first time missing Addie's bedtime, first time leaving her for a couple of hours (and not having Danny with me), first time going to a concert, first time experiencing the Stadium of Fire and I believe it was also my first time stepping into the BYU stadium. 

Watching Tim McGraw perform was awesome! Have I bragged about my mother in law yet? She's one of the most generous people I know. She spent way too much on the tickets ($400) but when she does something she always goes all in. We had pretty good seats and she even got me a tee shirt so that I could remember my first concert. Thanks Donna! 

These last two pictures aren't mine but they're too good to not post.

This one is also obviously not mine. :)

We spent Sunday at church and then had a late lunch with one of my mission companions (Sister Castellano). We weren't too far from Mapleton so we stopped by my in-laws that evening as well. I always enjoy spending time there. We were supposed to wake up early Monday morning for the 4th of July parade but Addie was still sleeping so I decided to sleep in as well. We had stayed up late the night before and I didn't think it would be worth it to take a grumpy toddler. It's funny because I also chose sleep over the parade last year so Addie has still not experienced her first parade. That's okay she'll like it more next year anyway. Danny was also okay with my decision because he never gets to sleep in since he wakes up early every day. We spent all day at my in-laws again and had a lot of fun. We finally got around to doing the Easter egg money hunt tradition since we never did that in March. Danny, Addie and I made out with the most money added up so this year was good to us. :) Joey is usually the champ but Danny's competitive side must have come out this year which was awesome for us. 

Donna had a little pool set up for the grandkids which Addie loved and Dave barbecued some hamburgers and hot dogs for everyone. 

Addie loved the fireworks that were far away and was scared of all the ones that we set off in front of Dave and Donna's house. They were too loud and close for her comfort. I mentioned that Donna always goes all in and the same goes for the fireworks they buy. They don't settle for the small ones that stay on the ground which are the ones I grew up with and I'm okay with those ones. They go for the huge ones that go off high in the sky. Something crazy happened as we were watching the fireworks. I was sitting on a blanket with Addie and Danny but since Addie was a little scared we decided to move away from the blanket and stand near the front porch. Literally within the next minute or two a firework shot up and landed on the blanket we had just been sitting on. The blanket exploded. True story. We have Addie to thank for the decision to move from where we were.

Poor flash from the camera was in her eyes.

Good thing we got off this blanket.

We took Addie inside before the fireworks ended and watched a little from indoors. If fireworks weren't so loud I think she would enjoy it more. Her favorite part about the faraway fireworks were pointing out what colors they were. She's in a phase right now where she LOVES colors. She knows all of them (she still confuses purple with pink though) and she has to point out each color she sees. I think my favorite part about watching her grow up is how excited she gets with each new thing she learns. Kids are awesome. I can't wait to teach her the reason we celebrate independence day and I hope she always enjoy family time just as much as I do. 

Playing with her new toy grandma got her.