4th of July Weekend!

We had a busy but fun holiday weekend over the 4th of July weekend!

On Friday, I had the day off work and the kids and I headed out on Lake Minnetonka on Grandpa's boat.  We had a blast tubing and enjoying the day out on the water.

Brian got up on 1 ski...

 Then I managed to catch a photo right at the moment that he fell hard!

 Tubing fun!

 The babes in matching sun hats with Grandpa.

Theo was a happy little boater.

 Look at how cute these smiles are!

 Student driver.

 All worn out.

 More tubing fun!

On the 4th of July, we were invited to enjoy swimming and dinner with our friends the Thuringers at their new house.  They used to live across the street from us and just recently moved to their newly renovated house a few miles away.  They have a pool and lake access and Jeff loves to barbecue. We let the kids get some rest at home in the morning, then headed over in the afternoon for swimming fun, a delicious dinner, then fireworks off the dock.

There is a shallow shelf area in the end of the pool that Trevor LOVED!

Two of their cousins were swimming with the kids and Trevor developed a little crush on Mackenzie. The kids swam and played in the pool for hours!

Sarah blew some bubbles when she got out to warm up.

After dinner, it was time for fireworks.

 Sparklers first.  Here's Miss Emelia showing us how it's done.

Then we had views of 3-4 sets of local fireworks at any given time.  Plus, Jeff had some big fireworks to set off from the dock.

Trevor was pretty tired by then and didn't like the fireworks in the yard because they were loud.  He snuggled into my shoulder and asked me to cover his ears.  He seemed asleep, but every time I would move my hand, he would ask me to cover his ears again.  We headed home after the fireworks and didn't get home until almost 11pm.  The kids were exhausted but had so much fun!

Then July 5th brought another day of fun!  We headed to Jenna and Michael's cabin on the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix and enjoyed a day on the beach and the river with family!

Playing in the sand.

Trevor was really interested in this little kayak, but as soon as I scooted it out into the water (holding on to it quite securely, of course), he freaked out and screamed until I dragged it back up onto the beach.

But he did go out on the jet ski with me!

 Theo had fun playing and loved the water.

Austin spent lots of time on the jet ski and loved going FAST!

Sarah went out with Daddy and Austin for a while too.

 Taking a break on the swing.

And the hammock.

 Our lovely hosts - Jenna, Michael and Alexis. Thanks for having us!

Our little patriots!

Tuckered out!

The weekend was absolutely a blast and completely exhausting!  Luckily, we have a relatively mellow week this week.  Steve and I have our normal work schedules, but the kids don't have any of their summer sports activities this week, so it has been nice to lay low a bit, do some casual fun stuff (like go to the park and the library), and catch up on tasks around the house. 

On Tuesday, we went to the "Chutes and Ladders" park.  It was mobbed by kids (whole bus loads of kids from YMCA and daycare centers were dropped off), but the kids had a blast and Trevor was quite the little climber! 

On Thursday, we got some more books at the library, then went to the playground at the elementary school right down the road from the library (where I went to grade school actually).  It was MUCH quieter than the other park had been.  We had fun playing on the various play areas, but the rolling slide is always a hit!

While there, Austin went over to a separate area where the swings are and found some other kids there.  A grandmother had her 3 grandchildren visiting from out of state and Austin and the 6.5 year old Connor got to talking.  Austin taught him how to pump his legs to keep swinging.  When I came over with Trevor, the grandma informed me that the boys were plotting going to Notre Dame together, since Steve and I went to ND and the other kids' dad went to ND as well.  We got to talking and discovered that the kids' mom was one of my grade school friends!  It was fun to meet her kids and hear that she is doing well.  It's a small world after all!