Sheridan, Wyoming Fourth of July

After staying home last year for the Fourth of July, we decided to return to our tradition of going to Sheridan, WY for the Fourth of July.  We cut out of town at noon on Wednesday and headed North.  Shortly after we hit the highway, the boys closed their eyes for an afternoon snooze.

With the boys having a backseat snooze, we covered many miles with smiles.

Before we knew it and thanks to leaving before Colorado traffic set in, we were crossing the border into Wyoming.

It wasn't long past Cheyenne when we heard Kellan exclaim "I have to go POTTY".  We started potty training him Memorial Day weekend and by the Fourth of July he was 95% there.  One thing was for certain, there was no reason to push our luck with his bladder so we had packed a potty chair (thanks to Aunt Stephanie's idea when Lauren was potty training) and we were able to pull off on the next exit.  Before I knew it, I looked up to see this...

I guess if one boy is peeing, they might as well all pee.

We were in touch with Jeff and Lindsey, who were headed up from Texas.  We realized that we would be in Casper about the same time, so we met up for dinner at Sandfords.  We had to wait a bit, so we explored all of their decorations.

Look down by bugs bunnies foot and you'll see Keith and Kellan.

"HEY!!!  Where are our Texas Cousins?"

"Whew!  Finally time to sit down and order some grub at Sanford's Grub & Pub.

It was so fun to meet up with the Hamiltons who had just driven in from Texas.

Apparently, they brought their Texas sized appetite with them.

Check out Isaac's hot diggety dog!

Not far north of Casper, Kellan's bladder called on him again.  This time, there wasn't an exit handy, so we had to go for a freeway pit stop.  He's on the potty just next to Keith's left foot.

Once again, seizing opportunity, can you see the green t-shirt, blue shorts and bare mid-drift just between Kellan and Keith?  If you look super close, you'll even see a yellow rainbow.  Yes, Oliver jumped out to pee too.

Just after we got back into the car, Jeff and Lindsey texted us to ask if we stopped on the side of the road.  As they blew by at 75 mph, they thought they saw us and sent us a text.  Did they stop to rescue us?  NO!  Good thing it was just a pit stop.  If they did have to rescue us, we would have never heard the end of the story where their mini van family had to save our SUV family.  There is no way was can let that happen :)

The next morning was the Fourth of July.  Uncle Jeff was crankin' out a rag time tune that had all of the kids attention.  Kellan wasn't shy to jump up in the co-pilots seat.

After Oliver lost interest, I found him wrestling with cousin Lauren in Nana and Papa's chair.  Good thing that Lauren's a tough cookie.  She can take on Oliver and his crazy love of wrestling, even with a foot to the jaw bone.

That morning came with a high light of the trip with a bit of Motherly Independence.  Us Four Sisters picked up our Chai/Latte/Mocha of choice and went to the park for several hours of girl talk.  It was pure bliss.  Thankfully, I had my tri-pod in the car so we got a few snaps of us girls.

Lindsey, Stephanie, Tammy and Carrie

The story here: Stephanie and Tammy are real live sisters.  They happen to grow up next door to the Hamilton boys.  Stephanie married the oldest Hamilton boy, Brian.

After going away to college, Lindsey married the youngest Hamilton boy, Jeff.

Being a middle child, Keith broke the mold and married outside of his home town, another middle child, Carrie.

This is a big more of an accurate picture of how much fun we had.

Late that afternoon, we broke into the day time fireworks.  One of the many perks of celebrating the Fourth of July in Wyoming is the fireworks that are 100% legal in state.  First up, Pop Its.  Perfectly legal in all 50 states.

This guy has got the most dramatic scrunch nose face that I've ever seen and we see it often.

Apparently, Kellan isn't the only one who can throw down some dirty looks.

There is nothing better during Pop It action than finding un-popped Pop It's on the ground.

Isaac and his brother William are nearly non-stop and they definitely don't stop for Aunt Carrie to take photos.  They did have lots of fun with Pop Its.

Ooo Ooo Ooo

Bonus Pop It!

With a satisfied yet mischievous smile.

Brothers Isaac and William were excited to take Cousin Lauren for a stroll.

On the porch, William was taking the tricycle for a spin.  This tricycle was quite popular and hard to get a seat on with so many little bottoms to ride it.  William was very happy to have it all to himself.

William (born the same day as Kellan)

Isaac (Williams younger brother by 17 months)

Uncle Brian lovin' some ribs.

Kellan and his birthday cousin, William, bellied up for dinner.

Yes, they were born on the exact same day, with less than an hour difference between them.  Technically, William was born first, but we like to tease that Kellan was since his birth certificate has an earlier time thanks to the different time zones.  At the end of the day, two perfect miracles blessed the Hamiltons on the same day.  August 23, 2010 was a special day, indeed.

The kids table (feel free to giggle about Brian and Keith bellied up as well. I do.)

Proof.  Caught on Camera.  Brian and Keith munching ribs at the kids table.

Then, the rain came in.  For the first time ever, we had rainy weather over the 4th of July in Sheridan.  While we waited out the rain, we tuned into some Toy Story for a bit of R&R.

William with his brother Isaac snuggling with his Daddy in the background.

Kellan cozied up in Nana and Papa's chair.

Isaac loving Oliver's Spider-Man blanket and his Daddy's lap.

The big kids; Oliver, Lauren and Kaden.

Both boys snuggled with Daddy Jeff.

Meanwhile, outside, Daddy Keith is queuing up some juice.

What a Handsome Hamilton!

I sure love this guy!

Keith and Carrie on the Fourth of July.

Finally, the rain passed and the wind slowed so we went outside to attempt a Fourth of July Firework Celebration.

Miss Hailey LOVES her Uncle Keith.

Every year, we get more and more brave and let the kids participate in firework activities more and more.  Don't worry, there is plenty of talk about safety.

William and his Daddy (Jeff) light a smoke bomb.

"hurry, hurry, throw it, throw it!"

Smoke bombs are always a big hit as we wait for the sun to go down.

Next up, Oliver.

Now, it's Kellan's turn.

How Handsome are those Hamilton boys in stripes?

So Handsome!

Mr William.

Kaden setting up the birthday cake of bottle rockets.

I've yet to figure out the thrill of bottle rockets.  I'm starting to think that you only find the thrill if you have an X and Y chromosome. 

I caught Papa giving Oliver a warming snuggle.  Oliver sure loves his Papa.

Time to light the cake.

I love how everyone is looking up.

Yes, bottle rockets freak me out for several reasons.  One is that you never know where that long and pointed stick is going to fall from the sky.  Fortunately, nobody got a stick in the eye.

William rarely smiles FOR the camera.  However, if the camera catches him smiling, that's a treat.

He is SO expressive when he gets excited.

Kellan had his eye on the action that was exciting William.

William may have been excited, but it doesn't mean that he didn't seek cover from behind Uncle Keith.

What kid doesn't love the fun appearance of fireworks?  I used to love picking them out based on how much fun they looked like.  Kellan found some fun in these bees (or were they airplanes?).

Kellan too found cover now and then.  This time, he was attached to Mommy's leg.

Apparently, someone thought that Oliver needed help with covering his ears.  I suspect that Papa came to the rescue.

Miss Hailey LOVED the fireworks almost as much as Uncle Keith.

... and the bottle rockets fire on.

Next up, the most popular firework of them all...

... THE PARACHUTE MAN!

We had more than enough parachutes for each kid to have their own.  It's a good thing that there were extra because there were a few duds.

First up, Kaden went for the catch.

Happiness all around and he runs back to the crowd with his parachute man.

Next up is Kellan.  He's got his hearing protection on for the big bang.

Then, he was off.  The little ones weren't quite fast enough but Daddy made sure that Kellan found his parachute.

He was SO excited!

Next up, Oliver.

If you would have seen the catch, you would have said "now there is a football receiver in the making".  His speed and form was unmistakable for something that we've seen on the football field.  He too was THRILLED to have caught his parachute man.

Daddy handed out high fives to his little receiver.

Next up, it was William.

Can you see him about to burst with excitement?

Hooray, William!

You're first parachute man.

Miss Lauren caught her parachute with ease and grace, just as you would expect from the ballerina in the crowd.

Next up was Mr Isaac.

I'm not sure who had more fun catching his guy, Isaac or his Daddy.

Miss Hailey had one too, but hers went behind her Daddy's truck and into the bushes a bit.  There was a heroic effort to rescue the parachute, which her Daddy and Uncle Keith were successful at.

Next up, the choo-choos for the two choo-choo lovers in the crowd; Kellan and William.

We had a great time celebrating the Fourth of July.  We didn't get through all of the fireworks.  The weather wasn't the best and the kids were getting cold, tired and eaten alive by man size mosquito's.  Off to bed we went in hopes of better weather the next day.

The next day it was cowboys and rock stars on Nana's front porch.

Watch out!  Cowboys and Rock Stars like an early game of catch.

Red Solo Cup

I fill you Up

It's time to PARTY!

Get your motor running

Head out on the highway

Looking for adventure

Or whatever comes my way

The adventure took us to the backyard where Papa needed a tree taken down.

There is nothing like watching a bunch of grown men strategize on how to do a task like taking trees out of the yard.

Kaden and Oliver had their own bets on how this was going to go down.

Safely, watching from the porch.

Oliver, Kellan, Aunt Stephanie and Cousin Lauren

Even though Mommy completely protested, Aunt Stephanie insisted on coloring a cowboy mustache and beard on Oliver.  Something about her being the aunt and being able to do what she wanted to spoil her nephew.  Yes, Oliver LOVED it!

Meanwhile, Jeff joined the guys and the strategic planning continued on.

The little boys found their happy place with trucks and trains.

Kellan, William and Isaac.

Hailey wasn't shy to play with trains too and she picked the nice pink train that coordinated with her adorable outfit.

Oliver and Kaden loved playing in the yard together. 

Kaden pausing for a quick photo op.

Miss Hailey found herself with a pretty flower.

Once again, we found ourselves in the culd a sac for fireworks.

Smoke Bombs Take II

On Night two of fireworks, Kellan was offering red wagon rides to his cousins.

First up, William.

Next up, Hailey.

Grand finale, William AND Hailey.

After a few more fire works, we called it a night but we didn't call it bedtime.

We headed inside where the guys played a game of Risk.

The next day was Saturday and we had a big day ahead of us.

First up, we took our traditional July family photo.

Next, we went to the park in Sheridan to meet up with Carrie's cousin.

The boys loved playing in this park.  It was a first for us and probably will be a reoccurring visit in future trips.

Kellan really liked the play ground but this turtle caught his attention as well.

Before leaving, he had to get one last spin in the fire truck.

Parade wave practice, coming at ya.

After a visit in the park, we went to see where Seth and Caspian are opening their new brewery this fall.  We were very excited to see it and we are even more excited to visit it the next time we are in town.

A little family history:

Capsian is Carrie's cousin on the Garner side of the family and she grew up in Spokane, about an hour from Carrie.  Carrie's Dad is the oldest of three and Capsian's dad is the youngest of those same three.

Seth is from Sheridan and he and Caspian met in Missoula, MT.  They were married a few years ago and then spent some time in Missoula and the Oregon coast before recently moving to Sheridan.  It's crazy how things can come full circle.  Never in a million years did I think that I would have family from my side in Sheridan too.  As an added bonus, Junabelle was born nearly a year ago and we got to meet her and all of her adorableness as well.

Seth, Caspian, Junabelle, Kellan, Oliver, Carrie and Keith

Saturday afternoon, we cooled off in the pool.

Ahh!!!!

Isaac, Jeff and William were enjoying the kiddie pool.

Kellan was dipping his toes in the hot tub.

Kaden was swimming in the hot tub and he would come up to chat with Kellan now and then.

Oliver and Keith had a made game of keep away going on with Lauren and Uncle Brian.

Keith was SO happy to be playing in the pool.

Oliver has turned into quite the fish this summer and we have discovered that he has amazing lung capacity while swimming.

It was the Dad's against the kids and I think the kids may have given the Dad's a bigger run for their money than they expected.

On the sidelines, Kellan and his cousins were enjoying some lunch.

When you're on vacation and eating hot dogs by the pool, there really isn't any reason to use good dining manners, is there?  Laying back in your lounge chair is perfectly acceptable, right?

Headed back, all three of the little boys jumped in the wagon.  What fun!

Oliver had a lot to say to the little boys and at the pool, there was no time to spare so it was hot dog on the go for this little fish.

Saturday night, Brian and Stephanie hosted a shrimp and crawfish boil in their backyard.

I'm not sure who had more fun; the crowd eating the food or the guys making it.

The brothers:

Keith, Jeff and Brian

In the kitchen, Stephanie was whipping up some corn bread.

Ooooo Time for the big dump.

My favorite!

Hello Little Crawfish.

Don't you worry, I wont' eat you, but everyone else will!

Nolan gave the crawfish a chance.

The Dudes:

Brian, Jeff, Keith and Jim (Tammy's husband)

Oliver was a BIG fan of the shrimp.

Kellan was bellied up and ready for some dinner.

Aunt Stephanie went right for the crawfish.

Someone is clearly not a fan.

Then, the storm came in.  Not a sprinkle, but a complete downpour.  It's a good thing that dinner was on a quick to-go table cloth.

The rain poured and poured and poured.

We ate and ate and ate.

As the rain lifted, Miss Hailey followed her daddy outside for pot 2 of dinner.

Surely, this must be delicious when the head chef is wearing a moose apron and wading boots like he just jumped in the bayou and caught the shrimp and crawfish himself.

While Miss Hailey was splashing around outside with the guys...

... Kellan was inside trying on her crowns.

Time to eat, Again!

Somehow, we wrangled all of the cousins together for a photo.  

Kellan, Hailey, Kaden, Oliver, Nolan, Nash, Isaac, Lauren and Isaac.

Slightly confused?

Here's the scoop.

Brian and Stephanie's Kids: Lauren, Kaden, Hailey

Keith and Carrie's Kids: Oliver and Kellan

Jeff and Lindsey's: William and Isaac

Tammy and Jim's Kids (Stephanie's Sister): Nolan and Nash 

Aren't they all adorable and absolutely squeezable?

When we told Oliver that we had more fireworks (from the fourth of July) with BIG eyes he said "THREE days of Fireworks??".   Yes buddy, three whole days!

The grand finale of fire work nights was sparklers as well as more bottle rockets.  (really, more bottle rockets?  Yes, more bottle rockets.  Too many X&Y chromosomes amongst this crowd)

Keith helped light Oliver's sparklers.

Aunt Lindsey helped Kellan with his first sparkler while Lauren put on a great show to the side.

We had a firecracker of a Fourth of July.  Mother Nature may have had other plans, but we didn't let her rain on our parade.  

THANKS to Nana and Papa for hosting another fun Fourth of July weekend and THANKS to Brian and Stephanie for bringing a bit of the Cajun roots to Wyoming.

For more fun and photos, check out Tammy's blog.  Tammy was kind enough to send me her photos and I had planned on borrowing some of them but after working on this for hours, I'll just give you a link.  She has proof that I was there since I wasn't behind her camera like I am always behind mine.

_________________

Ok, I changed my mind.  I went back and looked at Tammy's photos and I've decided to post some of her photos.  I went through and picked the ones that weren't like mine.  Many of them are very similar since we were side by side snapping photos with our Canon's.  Plus, many of hers show proof of my existence at the Shrimp and Crawfish Boil.  

Kaden and Oliver had a great time together over our visit and they immediately hung out at the bar to work on a project.

Keith is always a comedian.

How can you not love this guy? 

Ta-Da!

Proof that I was there!

Dishing up dinner behind the buffet of boys.

I think this is what most people see me doing at events.  This is definitely what my kids are used to.  Look at Oliver striking a pose.

Here is little Nash with his Grandma (I think he calls her Mam).  Poor Nash was suffering from lack of a nap and he was recovering from an ear infection.  He hit his party limit early and Mam took him home early.

Look Mom, I'm eating funny food off of butcher paper.  Well, at least I'm contemplating on what to put into my mouth.

ACK!

Slimy Fingers!

Miss Lauren Joy was the Queen of the Castle.

Back for another round of dinner.

At some point, the kids were playing and the Dad's were eating so us girls ended up in Stephanie's new bedroom having girl talk.

Nearly last but not least, our handsome boys.  They are always willing to Charm Tammy with their handsome grins.

Oliver and Kellan's Mommy and Daddy

No wonder those boys are such lady killers, have you met their parents?  Wit and charm all around.

Oliver is ready for Fireworks Round 3.

This shirt is a 3rd Generation Hand-Me-Down.  It started as Nolan's, then Kaden's, now it's Oliver's.  In the future it will Kellan's and then it will be back at the Billing's house on Nash.  Full circle of Hand-Me-Downs.

Ok, that's it, I'm done.

Happy Independence!!