StooR FamiLy HoLiDaY MaDDnEss

On the dock at the cabin in Island Park, Idaho.

Kevin, Michelle, and cousin Scott.

Whenever we spend holidays with Kevin's side of the family, we're sure to have a fantastic and ridiculous time.  Most of the Stoor clan gets together for all major (and some minor) holidays up in a very remote community in Idaho where Kevin's mom and her siblings grew up.  This year we got to spend our 4th of July weekend with all of them.  It was a riot as usual.

 We took a lot of pictures and lit a lot of firecrackers and sparklers while we were waiting for it to get dark enough to start our actual homemade firework show.

Don't honestly remember what was so intense about this situation.

Every time we all get together there is near constant eating and munching. I LOVE it.  This weekend we tried to incorporate as many favorite traditions and foods from the major holidays we enjoy together. Swedish bread, stockings stuffed with treats/gifts, Christmas cookies and candies, and 

Staking out our seats for the firework show with Kevin's cousins.

 patriotic tie-died shirts were some of the highlights for me.  Oh, and the dutch oven potatoes (though I don't know that they belong to a particular holiday.)

Lots of glow sticks, all the cousins' kids LOVED them.

More waiting for the fireworks.

Glow stick glasses, classy, no?

Turns out it's rather difficult to frame your face with glow sticks for light without looking a bit ridiculous.

 Kevin caught some awesome shots of his oldest cousin's son, Max, playing with a bunch of glow sticks that had been strung together.  Sweet action.

Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam

Annual 4th of July parade. 

feeling so patriotic

This is easily one of my favorite traditions.  Every 4th of July 
the whole family,except those 
who have to be in the audience,dresses 
up in patriotic garb and 
then we march back and forth
in front of the house 
throwing candy. This year was
especially intense because
we had maybe 10 actual
parade-goers (outside of the
family) and thanks to 
Aunt Wendy, we had 
patriotic music blaring. 

What a great way to spend
the holiday. What a gift to 
be able to live in a free
 land.

parade in action

The whole parade crew