A Vernal Trash 4th of July

As usual, we spent the 4th of July at the cabin with the Johnsons. We are of the opinion that this year's reunion was exceptionally fun. I didn't get my camera out for a lot of the best events, like the extra long water fight or ribs, but I still have plenty of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

This is my mom shucking corn on the deck. My parents (and a lot of other people) worked really hard on reunion prep and fun. It took a ton of work to feed 50+ people breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a couple of days.

This is my dad mowing the grass around the fire pit. He's wearing a hat that says "VT" for Virginia Tech. My dad promplty changed the meaning to Vernal Trash. He thought it was pretty funny, and he kept saying it all week.

Jonah was such a good baby. He loved all the dogs, playing in the sandbox, driving on the dirt road, climbing up the stairs, putting gross objects in his mouth, and stealing blankets and pacifiers from Damian and Trevan.

The Uintah High drill team is my favorite part of the parade every year-except of course for Cruz and the Vernal all-star baseball team! Why does the drill team ride unicycles? I have no idea, but they're really good at it.

Matty J. and Venna are sharing a slurpee at the parade. Man, it was a hot day. Next year I'm going to sleep out on the parade route for a better spot in the shade.

Josh bought this slip 'n' slide for Venna (she earned it by pouring a bottle of water on my dad). Josh enjoyed it a lot more than she did. The idea was to slide down and land in the kitty pool. He and the boys destroyed the pool sliding down the plastic runway at maxiumum speed.

Jonah watching the fireworks.

Taylor, Hanna, and Venna are painting jewelry boxes. Thank you, Aunt June, for being insightful enough to plan crafts that will make my transition to Missouri successful. That bracelet is going to change my life.

Venna was so tired by Saturday night that all she could do when the kids built Carter Van Winkle was sit in the mud and watch.

This picture pretty much sums up Venna's 4th of July: dirt and candy. She loved playing with cousins, hiding out in the loft, playing in the sandbox, walking to the pond, and wearing her princess swimming suit.