Family Traditions

 Every Fourth of July for the past.....  I don't know....  15 years,

The Hydes have ventured up to Provo for the Freedom Festival.  

They go to the Parade that travels down University in Provo and

then they watch the fireworks at Stadium of Fire...  some years in the stadium and some years from the soccer field at Provo High School.  

Some years, the 4th fell on a Monday through Thursday.

Meaning Russ only had the day off.

So they would wake up at 4:00...

Drive up...

Attend both events....

and drive home... in one day.

They're crazy like that.

The past 7 years, the rest of the family has joined them in the tradition.

It always begins the same way

 The men play golf at Hobble Creek

With wildlife and NO CELL SERVICE.

While the women get all of the children ready.

Load up the car

Hide all of the snacks in our beach towels

make a pit stop at McDonalds with 12 children

and then we head over to Seven Peaks.

Unload 45,000 items from 4 cars.

Sneak our snacks through check in

(because stupid Seven Peaks doesn't allow outside food)

but we don't follow the rules.

We have learned all the sneak in tricks.

We hide chips in our chair bags and in the canopy bags and we wrap licorice up in our towels and we are not beneath hiding stuff on our small children...  because NO ONE WOULD EVER SEARCH A SMALL CHILD.  

Then the women (with 12 children) and (45,000 items) begin setting up camp.

2-3 canopys, 25 camp chairs, tarps, towels, hidden snack food etc.

Finally....  and we are certain the men sit accross the street watching us set up and 

THE VERY SECOND EVERY THING IS ALL SET UP AND DARLING... 

one of them will text us and say they are just now pulling in.

They pull up next to us at the fence and launch 

4 cases of ice cold water over the barbed wire fence 

and we pass their tickets through the fence and they wander in...  wearing their golf attire and change into their suits....  right there wrapped up in towels under the women-set-up-canopies.  

And the fun begins.

This year was no different...

except...

Our very best camp-setter-upper was in a wheel chair.

And boy did we feel the pain of that.

Mom was a stressed out mess by the time we got to the gate.

It was 100 degrees and as usual 

(because she is for sure NOT going on any water slides)

she was wearing capris and a t-shirt

which is far too many clothes for this activity

nevertheless....

and the sweat began to appear and then it 

STARTED DRIPPING DOWN HER FACE 

LIKE MICHAEL JORDAN IN A BIG GAME

And she started saying things like

what is taking so long, what is going on at the window, why is this line not moving, we are going to die right here in line,  I have never been so hot,  look at me I'm sweating like a man,  this is ridiculous,  what is going on at that window,  does anyone know why this line isn't moving.....

And poor Kori was under a tiny tree with virtuously NO SHADE 

someone just parked her there and she was trapped.

and the children looked like this...

see those chair bags....

yep, filled with FOOD...

STUFFED

And by a small miracle we were able to purchase our tickets and somehow we made it through check in without incident.

I took this picture of Kami here because.....

Kami

Packed

7 outfits 

for the water park

and I kid you not....

she changed into every single one of them.

This was change #2 in the making.

Every time I looked at her she had a new outfit on.

So hiliarious!!

Gavin and Quincey who didn't want their pictures taken.

 And Kori was a trooper.

Because I think she was miserable the entire day

It was so hot and she couldn't dip her toes in the water like the rest of us.

Scott and Tami Bauer, from Houston have a home two blocks from Seven Peaks.

And when we started posting pictures on Instagram they text us and said

"we are two blocks away, we are coming over to say HI".  

And they did.  

It was so fun

for Kami and I to finally meet them.  

They are the greatest people.  

THE NEXT DAY WAS THE FOURTH OF JULY

And we decided as a family that we would forgo the parade this year because

Kori would be too hot,  the little kids don't like the cannons,  and it was too early for all of us to try and get there on time.

Instead we drove up the canyon to Heber for Garrett's game

It was much cooler up there

Raleigh and I literally arrived in the LAST INNING.  

They played well, but lost and so we left there and went to the outlet mall in Park City.

Kori and Russ and their kids went to the Provo River to fish.

We ate lunch together

and headed back to Utah County to get ready for Fireworks

We met at the soccer field and set up our 25 camp chairs facing toward

Lavell Edwards Stadium

and waited and waited....

There was a cute boy sitting behind us and he started making balloon animals for all of the kids

 Poor little 3 year old....  HATED the loud sound the fireworks make

 A pink and purple butterfly

 A green dog on a leash

 Quincey and Gracie

Garrett and Quincey

Kori was freezing but we got her all fixed up on the lounge chair with lots of blankets.

It was SO great that she trudged through a probably not very fun weekend for her 

so that we could all have fun.

 Garrett tired all the little kids out

Weekend over

Back to the work week

Kori will resume treatments and therapy.

PS....  she has a new therapist that she's added to her collection