I say this every year and I'll say it again: When it comes to the 4th of July, nobody does it like Oakley. Nobody. From the parade to the program to the rodeo and fireworks - Oakley is the best of the best. Which is why my family from far and near (cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends - we missed you so much this year mom and dad!) congregate there for our annual 4th of July family reunion. Here's what an Oakley 4th of July looks like: 
The morning parade down main street - firetrucks, horses, local beauty pageant and rodeo queens, the high school marching band, and several flatbed floats pulled by pick-up trucks. The kids look forward to the parade every year for one reason - the candy. They always come home with sacks, shirts, and pockets full to the brim with saltwater taffy. 
Here's the line-up of cousins - 13 total so far.
Ha! I love this picture - look at Clayton, Isaac. Look at Eliza. Parade-goers come with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Next, we head back to the ranch for the pot luck family barbeque. With uncle Richard and aunt Ann in Montreal on a mission, and my parents in San Diego, there were no horse rides or endless games of backgammon which everyone missed. And uncle Russ took over the grill for Richard. It was fun (as always) to catch up with cousins and relatives I only see once a year.
All the kids piled on the six-wheeler - keeping the tradition alive for Grandpa Tim!
Here is Clayton enjoying his entirely ORANGE lunch. yum.
Oh my - do you see how happy these kids are to pose for a picture? Look at Eliza. . .
And here's the whole crew (almost - minus Timmy who was sleeping and Ruben who was golfing).
The ranch is beautiful from every angle. . .
Christine and her sister were in town and joined us for the festivities.
Here are the kids enjoying their sacks of taffy.
I'm glad I snapped this next picture before these cousins disappeared into the woods for hours. They always have the best adventures together!
After the family barbeque, the afternoons are spent hiking, exploring, resting in the shade, chatting, and. . . rope swinging! I have to admit there have been many broken wrists and arms on this thing, but nothing beats flying out over a range of cattle and into the sky above Mt. Timpanogos and back again. On a rope and a stick. The boys still talk about the rope swing at the ranch.
Everyone (brave enough) had a turn.
check it out. . .Here's another favorite thing of the cousins (mom, you'll appreciate this). They love playing with Grandma Melissa's fancy tea set. here they are having a nice tea party with taffy and root beer - accompanied by some light table music. This was all Mel's kids idea actually. My boys just went along with it and then were eager to head off into the hills again.
Just before dinner we drove up to Provo falls for a little bit of rainy hiking.
Another memorable Fourth of July come and gone. We missed the rodeo this year and the fireworks. But Oakley will still be around for many more Fourths to come.
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