ALL HAIL SALINA.

Let me just start out by saying, I'm pretty sure I was born to live in the Sevier County/Sanpete County area.

Lived in Ephraim - Check
Every 4th of July in Salina - Check
Thanksgiving in Richfield - Check

I am in love with little town culture.

Anywho, this year, we went to Salina (as usual) for the 4th of July.

Cole had to work the night shift on the 3rd, so we had to miss all the carnival/racing/competition MADNESS that is the 4th of July morning in Salina.

Never fear, that flag is in front of my house every day, not just the 4th.
WE LOVE AMERICA!

So, I apparently had to sing the Star Spangled Banner to Murph...

My family takes the races VERY SERIOUSLY. We LIVE to stick our legs in Potato Sacks and run as fast as we humanly can without face-planting. I'm definitely not saying we don't face-plant...because WE DO. But we love it.

I'll just briefly tell you what else we love at 4th of July in Salina.

1. They used to let baby animals run wild. Whatever animal you caught, you kept. One year I caught a baby duckling (mom said no), and another year I caught a bunny named Patches (mom let me keep for awhile, and then "sent to a farm" because it pooped everywhere at all hours).

2. They have this giant pool of Jello. You dig through it, to search for Poker chips. The Poker chips have numbers on them. The numbers represent specific prizes. Throughout the years, my family has won a TV, a fishing pole, and numerous sleeping bags.

3. This year, (can't believe I missed it!!) they had a giant pool of live fish. All the boys got into the pool and caught fish with their hands.

4. THE GREASE POLE. There is this giant wooden pole that they coat with grease (obviously) and money. The higher you climb up the pole, the higher the bills. Since my uncle is 6'9, it's safe to say my uncles usually win ;) But I won't comment on how many fights that dang grease pole has caused between other Salina-ers.

YOU GET THE POINT. We love Salina.

Started out with some family wrestling matches.

 

Tried to teach Cole how to "Leg Wrestle" (super deprived kid)

These swing pictures actually make me super sad. Grandma's swings used to be a slab of wood with some artificial turf stapled to the top, I'M NOT KIDDING. Ghetto as it may be, it reminds me of childhood, and I loved it! At least the kids enjoy the new "modern" ones, I guess.

Don't let them fool you.

They may have been my #1 fans on the 4th, but 24-hours before this, they were throwing grass in my eyes and giving me bloody noses.

Buuuut I love my girls. 

Next, I got the VIP invite to help Chase build a "Fire-House".
But I was only allowed to help if I whispered the whole time, because it was a "secret" building.

It was America day, after-all, so we made sure to get him all his Fireman accessories. 

In the meantime, his sister was being a GIANT CHEESE, playing peek-a-boo.

I don't know if he's biased because his new cousin has the same name as him, but little Cole and big Cole are BFFs. 

Little Cole found a little cap-gun in Grandma's house.

I'm going to take a guess here, and say that the gun is probably a million years old.
So, to no surprise, it didn't work.
So my cutest husband ever went on a quest to Salina stores to find him some caps.

Next was the Parade!

If you were wondering what VICTORY looks like, it absolutely looks like this:

Part of the gang.

Can we just discuss how my family has to throw up hand signs in every picture?
Hahah.
Lovin' the peace, fist pump, and Jake's famous point.

Here in Salina, the Parade applies to all ages, duh!

Hahah, check out Chance makin' sure to be the center of attention.

If you're a serious Parade-r, you obviously know that the #1 prize to catch in any Parade is the sacred OtterPop.

POP QUIZ: What have the Bird/Frame Family been brain-washed into believing is the only edible color of Saltwater Taffy?

Answer: ORANGE. Always Orange.

I don't even know why, but I'll only eat Orange Taffy.
Never tasted the other flavors, but am dead-set on only eating Orange Taffy.

Have you ever seen that episode of How I Met Your Mother where Robin is DETERMINED to take an ugly picture of Barney, but every time she finally catches him doing something unattractive, he magically looks perfect in the picture? Okay, THAT IS MY BROTHER MITCH.

This was me "surprising him" with a picture.
...Brat.

Yes, my Grandmas REALLY ARE this pretty.
Doesn't it just make you sick?!

Giegh always jokes around about how he couldn't marry Kate until he made sure she'd be a hot old-woman...and then he met Grandma...and now they're married ;)

Love my Grease-Pole-Climbing, Jello-Pool-Lovin', Potato-Sack-Face-Planting family!

Ended the night with some super legal (hahahah) fireworks, that were so awesome, a man a few streets away drove to our house and asked us nicely (hahahah) to stop our super quiet (hahahah) fireworks.

WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA

'Twas apparently a long day, resulting in a tiny bit of madness...

'MURICA!!!!!!!!!!!!