My Mom the Graduate!

So one of the main reasons for the cabin and everyone coming together was...My awesome Mom graduated from University of Utah!  It has been years and years of hard work...working full time and going to school part time.  That is a hard schedule to live...especially for so many years.  But she did it!!!  Such a HUGE accomplishment!  I'm so proud of her!  

Since none of us could make it to her actual graduation (I don't think she even walked), we did our own re-enactment of her walking and getting her degree (her mom presented it to her!)  It was so fun!

My sister Heather and Mom.

Brother Sam and Mom

ALL my Mom's children together to celebrate graduation (and Mom turning 50!)!  It was so much fun to be all together! (Jenny, Sadie, Sam, Mom, Amber, Pheobe & Heather) I love them all so much!

Aunt Chris and her DIL Joanna and her little man, Sammy.  It was so fun to have our fam from Colorado there!

Sade & Mom

Aunt Julie & Mom

Mom & her bestie Cindy

Mom opening her many gifts!

The Colorado folk gave mom her very own ipad!  Lucky!

Mom and her 2 older and only sisters.  These 3 are hilarious together!

Mom and her mom!  Love these guys so much!  And i'm so happy for and proud of my Mom!

Family Fireworks

Tradition...watching fireworks out front of Grandma's house on a blanket. 

I love this picture of Mom & Joey.  Joey LOVED them!

The line up: my sister Sadie, Grandma Sorensen, Dawson, Abby & Jenny down at the end.

I'm glad we got this exact picture.  This is how Abby watches fireworks...with her ears covered.  It's pretty cute. Someday she won't be afraid of loud sounds or the fear of the possibility of loud sounds. :)

Daws & Sam 

Ra-Ra! Sparklers entertain!

Sade

Oh, the temptation to grab the sparklers...my kids luck, their pj's would start on fire!

4th of July Olympics with the Larsen Side

Jen, Dawson & Sam drove up to spend the 4th of July up in Utah as well.  So on Monday we all met at Grandma's house for the 1st Annual 4th of July Olympics!  We drew straws to find our team mate & then we came up with our own team names & designed our own shirts!  It was awesome!  Here are our teams...

UNCLE SAM & GRAM

THE CANNON BALLS

The TAMED ZEBRAS!  

And somehow I didn't get a picture of our 4th team...it was Jen & Dave...GENERAL WINNERS!  (sorry guys--if someone else has a picture of them send it my way please!)

Stretching good, getting warmed up....

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

Jen designed the whole thing!  She is so creative and fun!  Thanks Jen!  What a fun tradition to start!  Here is our scoreboard.

There is one event I somehow didn't get any pictures of...the grape toss.  Sam RULED that event.  I think he caught 9 out of 10 or something.  It was awesome!  Pretty sweet skill.

Croquet through the sprinkler.  So fun...we all got wet!

For this event we had to launch balloons at a basket.  The closest landing won.  It was a lot harder that in sounds.

Sade & I were awful at this one!  Dave and Jen did pretty good.  

Gram & Sam launching their balloon... can you see it?

Next was the bubble blowing contest.  We each got 2 big chunks of bubble gum and time to warm it up in our mouths. 

I have to admit, our 1st 4 competors struggled!  Grandma's bubbles were cute...Dawson's...ok, Sade was the best out the 4, and Dave....well, lets just say...I don't think he's ever blown a bubble in his entire life...and that's ok. :)  

Mom is an incredible bubble blower! I have NO idea where she got her skills!

That's a pretty good one Jen!

Ca-plu-ee!  Isn't that the coolest shot?!  Mom totally blew us out of the water on this event!  

Three in sync. :)  

The next event was pie/cake eating contest!  It was very yummy!  Just one piece so we didn't feel sick after.  These guys were so funny to watch!

Go Sade!!

Abby watched them so closely.  She thought we were crazy....maybe we were!  

Hilarious!

Haha!  Look at Sadie!  She kicked bootie! 

Yes, it was 3 guys verses me.  I won!!!  I am woman! :)

Check out these monstrous balloons for the final game.

Mark...Get Set....Throw!!

Hiiii-Ya!  Blast off ending here!

The huge balloon throw winners!