Douglas County Parade

It was so fun to go to the parade with Wade's family! Wade got a new job in June as an assistant property manager at Waterton Properties. He has a normal work schedule now and with only an occasional Saturday that he has to work, so now he can do all the fun weekend things. I didn't realize that this is Kimberlea's first time at the parade.

We were on a side street instead of Wilcox like we usually are and I didn't think I would like it as much, but it was actually a good spot. It wasn't as crowded and Calista got tons of candy because there weren't very many kids close to us.

Calista waited so patiently for the parade to start.

And Everlee was full of happy smiles!

I love that parades start with the flag to remind us of this great country we live in. I am thankful for the American Legion and the veterans that serve for us.

Nothing like a band to get your adrenaline pumping and put you in a festive mood. The kilts are a bonus. I bet those drums are heavy! Or maybe not, just awkward to carry and be able to see where you are going.

Douglas County royalty. Those wreaths on the horses are beautiful!

It was overcast and a tad cool today which is perfect weather for a parade. Notice Calista is wearing a jacket. Not too chilly for a popsicle though. You can count on at least one group giving them out. They are the perfect thing on a hot summer day which is the usual parade weather.

The library is one of my favorite spots in town and I am happy they have a parade entry to promote reading and all the fun programs they have there.

I will always love the DC band.

Of course they played, "Hey Baby," but we love it and it never gets old. 

Followed by the football team on their purple bus. Go DC!

This parade is for the county fair and rodeo, so a few 4-H groups are represented. These kids raised rabbits.

This is about as close to a float as it got in the parade this year. Nothing like the floats in the Utah Fourth of July parade. Cute cub scouts and their tent though.

This big balloon man was cool. I can't remember who they were--gymnastics or cheerleading maybe?

Not quite as many entries as in years past. No Shriners on their little motorcycles and go carts, no Pueblo band, no Mexican dancers, hardly any floats. Covid is probably to blame. I was just happy there was a parade this year and happy Wade's family could come so it wasn't just us. Lincoln had karate this morning and Emma is pretty little to take out and about. I love this town that we live in!

Wade's Family Pictures

One Sunday Wade's family was all dressed in yellow. They are so cute! Kimberlea wanted me to take a couple of pictures.

 I love this family! Happy Sunday!

Britta's Bridal Shower

Kade's Aunt Carrie hosted a bridal shower for Britta. We talked about it when I was in Utah wedding dress shopping. Britta said it was okay if I didn't come, it is pretty far. Delwyn said I could go if I wanted to. I went back and forth on what I wanted. On Monday I was texting Denya to send me lots of pictures (the shower is Thursday). Then I started thinking, I don't want to just see pictures, I want to be there and see it all in person. Denya got the idea to come and surprise Britta! I loved that suggestion and got so excited! I found a flight for $79 and decided to go for it!

Denya picked me up at the airport. We went to her house and I went down the basement. The theme for the shower is Sweden. Britta was on her way over to Denya's to make two Swedish recipes (cheese pie and chocolate coconut balls) and also flower crowns. She came in and started cooking. Denya texted me to come upstairs. Britta was reading the recipe, looked up and saw me, exclaimed, "Mom!" and ran over to give me a big hug. I said "Surprise!" and it was just so much fun! I was so, so glad I decided to come!

Britta didn't know I was coming and didn't buy enough flowers for 3 crowns. I didn't care, I was just happy to be there. The shower is at Kade's parents. When we got there Christie had ordered a flower crown, then she got a notice it wouldn't ship in time, so she ordered another one. The original made it in time after all, so she gave it to me to wear. So sweet of her!

 This is a traditional Swedish cake that is cut in half and has whipped cream in the middle. It is usually made in single size servings, but that is a lot of work, so Carrie just made a large size. 

Lots of yummy food! There was a potato and ham dish, veggie tray, green salad, fresh fruit, Swedish brownies that are really soft in the middle. My favorite thing was cinnamon rolls that have cardamon in them. Britta made some for her welcome home party after her mission.

Cute party favors using Swedish fish!

Nicole Clark, Britta's trainer on her mission, was there and it was fun to meet her. She was one of Britta's favorite companions and she has talked a lot about her.

No games, (yay! I'm not a fan of shower games) so straight to the presents! The first gift was a mini waffle maker with some flavored syrup, buttermilk and cinnamon. Sounds delicious!

She was excited about this InstaPot! Fast dinners are just what busy college students need.

A pretty clock that she had chosen on her Target registry.

Denya ordered this watercolor of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and on the bottom it says Lever and August 13, 2021. Denya wished the name and date were a little bigger, but it is still so beautiful. Britta was touched and told us later that it was her favorite gift.

Kade liked it too.

A plant is a fun gift that I probably wouldn't think of. Britta likes plants and the pot is so cute.

Kade's great grandma Mildred who is turning 100 soon made these stockings!! Wow!! They are all hand sewn with sequins and embroidery. What a precious gift! I want to be just like Mildred. I met her at the 4th of July barbeque. She doesn't need a walker or a cane. And she needs good eyesight and steady hands to make these stockings.

My gift was big and Britta saved it for last. She was very curious.

A vacuum!

The shower was a lot of fun and I was extra glad I came. Most of the guests were Lever family members who all live in the area. I'm a little jealous, it would be nice to have so much family close by. They are all so friendly and just talk and talk like they've known us forever.

So happy to have Kade in our family!

Friday morning we wanted to have breakfast at the Lazy Day Cafe. They have these lemon pancakes with buttermilk syrup that Denya has raved about. We waited for Britta to finish her internship, so it was almost noon when we got there. We had a 45 minute wait to be seated, so Denya took us to this cute little bookstore. It is near her house and she can just walk there.

The King's English Bookstore is adorable!! It reminds me of the little old houses in down town Castle Rock, like Brother Bithell's first chiropractic office. It has a bunch of little rooms and its all wall to ceiling books, with a different genre in each room. I was too shy to take a picture inside, but it was super cute!

The pancakes are huge!

And so delicious! We were starving by the time we ate, but they were worth waiting for. 

Denya and I love to go to a play whenever I visit. Since I came on short notice, all the bigger plays were sold out, but we were able to get tickets for a Patsy Cline show. It was more of a concert tribute, but it was still good. It was based on a true story about Patsy Cline's friendship with a fan named Louise. They were the only 2 characters besides a band. Her singing made me think of my Dad, as this was the kind of music he liked. I call it twangy country--Buck Owens, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn. I haven't thought about any of that for a very long time. I remember some eight track music tapes that he had that us kids listened to quite a bit.

Kade met us afterwards for some ice cream at a place called Handels. It was so creamy and good, they could give Braham's a run for their money! I had black raspberry and strawberry cheesecake. Denya and Britta both had chocolate orange for one of their scoops and it was amazing!

We all had cups except Britta, who got a waffle cone. Look how much ice cream she has! No fair! Why did she get so much more than we did?? 

A super fun trip with my girls! I flew home at noon on Saturday.

 

Spending the Week With Austin's Family

Austin is taking a whole month off! He gets two weeks of paternity leave! Wow!! Things have sure changed from when I was having babies. Delwyn didn't even spend the night with me in the hospital like new dads do now. But it's a good thing that dads can give extra help and support to their wives and families at such an exciting time, and I'm happy that employers are realizing the importance of this. Then Austin is taking two more weeks of vacation after that. With all the craziness of Covid last year, people just didn't take time off and all the working members in our family built up a lot of vacation days.

Melissa really, really wanted me to come and help out for a week. Carolee came to watch Calista and Everlee, Delwyn is helping out 2 days with Dagny, and Lincoln is at his preschool camp, so I'm free to go. I went out each morning about 9 am, two nights I stayed for dinner and helped get kids to bed. The other days I came home and made dinner for Ryan and Delwyn.

The kids swam almost every day. Austin skims the pool and gets it ready.

The girls are ready to jump in!

Austin is such a good Dad to play with his kids in the pool. Truth be told, he loves the water and swimming and he says the pool is just as much for him as it is the kids! Some nights after the kids are in bed, Austin and Melissa get in the pool to relax.

Maddie dries off after a happy swim. They have been having some trouble with the heater shorting out, so the water is a little on the cool side. The girls were begging me to bring my swim suit and swim with them, so one day I did. It was too chilly for me and I just sat on the edge and put my legs in. I'm a wimp, I know.

Maddie loves to check the eggs and gather them each day. She loves the chickens and is such a cute helper.

Emma sure furrows her brow a lot and looks like she is concentrating on something. Maybe she is trying to figure out life.

Austin's company (UC Health) sent this edible bouquet to the family as a congratulatory gift. They are delicious!! We got one when Blake passed away. The girls were excited to bite into it.

The girls sure love their new sister and they hold her several times a day.

Austin has taught Claire how to play chess and she loves it. They played a game or two every day. She wanted to me to play, but I never learned how and don't have much interest in learning. It always seemed rather complicated and uses too much strategy for my liking.

One day I brought the ingredients to make Puppy Chow. I know it is one of Melissa's favorite treats. The girls really like it too and were excited to help me stir it up.

Millie loves to draw and color. One day she drew this picture of me. I love my smile and especially my glasses.

I didn't take any pictures, but each morning the girls would color or Claire has modeling clay they enjoyed sculpting with. They would look out the window or look around the house to get ideas of what to make. They were really creative. They also have some kinetic sand in tubs that they like to dig around in with their hands. We played lots of board games. They have a Headbanz Junior animal game that they really like to play. We played a lot of Guess Who and Sequence for Kids. I'm quite impressed at what good sports they are and they are gracious losers, which is usually a hard thing for kids to learn.

I ordered matching dresses for all the little girls for Britta's wedding. They came, and so I took them out so we could have a try on session to see if they fit. They need to be steamed since they are quite wrinkled, but they are going to be so cute!!!

Success! They all fit! Millie was quite excited to have such a sparkly dress.

Maddie twirled around and around in hers like a princess.

A dress for baby Emma too. She even opened her eyes to tell us she approved.

Austin snuggles up with baby Emma.

Emma and that furrowed brow again!! It would sure be interesting to know what she is thinking.

Millie is in love with her new sister! 

One afternoon I went outside to watch the girls ride their bikes and scooters. Maddie started singing a little song about how much she loves Kade and he is her best friend in the world. It was just so adorable!

Not sure why I look a little haggard in this picture--I'm having a great time this week and I love to hold baby Emma and do it whenever I get a chance. I have to take turns with the big sisters!

One of my favorite things is newborn babies wrapped up tight! They are just like a little present. Melissa made this blanket, the bees are so cute!

Emma is all dressed up today and looks so summery! 

 Yay baby Emma! I'm so happy you are in our family! What a precious week I've had spending time with Austin's family.  I loved every minute!