Independence Day Weekend

This holiday weekend was crammed full of fun, festivities, fireworks, food, and acknowledging our pride in our country.
And matching Old Navy flag tees (and onesie), of course.


Jeff had Monday the 5th off work, so we enjoyed a nice, long weekend with him around. On Friday night, I made him play board games with me to kick off our weekend. I love board games. Jeff, on the other hand, does not. His favorite joke when it comes to this topic is, "There's a reason they call them 'board' games." (Get it? Board = bored? Why aren't you laughing?) But he was a trooper and a sweetheart, and indulged me in three rounds of Scattergories and two games of Chutes & Ladders.

As per tradition, we spent the day before Independence Day at the lake with Grandmom & Granddad.
Because I'm a nerd and in love with the new camera my sweet husband bought for me, I took pictures of us in the car. (Jeff is also a nerd and took pictures of neighborhood entrances as I was driving us home.)
Our driver.

Front seat passenger. (When did my hair get so red?)

The middle row passenger (see the little man in the mirror?), who spent most of the ride snoozing.

A back row passenger who watched "Toy Story 2" (a birthday gift that has been watched at least 5 times already. Seriously.) during the ride.


And our final passenger, who also watched the movie, but as we got closer to our destination, he became exhausted. And a little grumpy.
"I don't want a picture!" (Even with that mean ol' grouchy face, he looks adorable.)


"No picture!"


He was asleep about 60 seconds after his last protest.


When we arrived at the lake, we had enough time for a few pictures before it was time to join Daniel and Lainey in the water.




The kids had a blast in the lake and during the neighborhood's pre-fireworks festivities.
(Thanks to Tricia for all of the lake & tubing pictures!)
"Cannonball!"


Jacob is truly the only person I know who intentionally belly flops into the water. Repeatedly. He loves it!


Jacob isn't the only one who loves the water.


Jacob and his cousin, Daniel, took their very first ride on the innertube! In case you can't tell from the smile that never left his face, Jacob loved every second of it.




Alex enjoyed the tubing show.


And the snacking during the show. Alex enjoying snacking? Unheard of, I know.


Just like last year, Grandmom & Granddad's neighborhood had several inflatable play areas for kids. All of the kids loved the Spiderman bounce house and an inflatable tunnel (can you say claustrophobia?) with interior obstacles and a slide at the end.




And Jacob and Daniel hopped inside the inflatable American Gladiators style arena.




And this is how Will participated in the neighborhood fun.


Later, we all enjoyed a delicious dinner and four kids were bathed in the same big bathtub. After all of the sweat, dirt, and lake grime was scrubbed off them, it was time for a picture with Nani.



But wait a minute...someone's missing. Will! Oops!


Time to head out to the lake to watch fireworks! This was Will's first time on the boat! He looks a little frightened (and adorable) in the picture, but he did wonderfully.


What to do before (OK, and during) the show? Take pictures, obviously! Tricia is as camera happy as I am, and with our cameras flashing continuously, we had our own little light show on the boat.















Since the fireworks begin at 9:00 p.m., all of the kids were up past their bedtime. Some started to look a little sleepy as they waited for the show. (To say he perked up once they began would be an understatement.)


And others were full of energy and kept a close eye on the sky.


Alex liked the fireworks last year. But this year, he LOVED them. He kept shouting, "Another firework's comin'! Right dere!" And he'd point to the sky excitedly.
And finally...the show in the sky began.






A round of applause after the Grand Finale.


It has become a fun tradition to watch the fireworks from the boat out on the lake. The adults and kids enjoy it, and you sure can't beat the time with family, avoiding the crowds, and sitting on a boat watching the sky light up with fireworks. It was an awesome day.



On Sunday the 4th, we spent the afternoon and evening at Nan & Pop's house, and enjoyed the company of Kerri, Matt, Camden, and Grandpa, who was in town visiting.

Will is just 5 months younger than his cousin, Camden. We see best buddies, playmates, and mischief makers in the future.



The boys' name for my Grandpa? Grandpa Fred. They love him.



My youngest little patriot.


And naturally, there was plenty of time spent in the pool.

(The new adirondack chairs Mom bought for her grandsons. I can't wait until I get a picture of all 4 boys sitting in them.)



Who doesn't love being thrown across the pool? It was Jacob's idea, of course.







And what's the 4th of July without...

...Mom's flag cake...

and sparklers?! They were a huge hit!


I asked Jacob what he was writing in the air with his sparkler. He told me he was writing, "I love you."





It was a great day. Right, Will?


Ahh, there's the smile I was looking for. As Alex would say, "Dere we go."



On Monday the 5th, and Jeff's day off work, he had a hankering (I don't believe I've ever used that word in my life) to slow cook a pork shoulder (aka pork butt) on the grill for 6 hours. I don't ever get excited about cooking something. About the end result, yes, but he was actually giddy about the entire process.
Onto the grill it goes...

First flip...

We spent much of the morning outside, enjoying the weather and the smell from the grill. This little guy loves being outside!


Hailey joined us outside and constantly sniffed the air. Pork butt smells delicious.


It tasted delicious too. And we knew there would be so much of it, we invited Scott, Tricia, Daniel, Lainey, Kerri, Matt, and Camden over to help us eat it.

We were all completely worn out by the end of the day and action packed 3 day weekend. Alex passed out on the couch before 8:00. Will fell asleep at dinnertime, waking up only twice between then and 6:30 a.m. the next morning. Jacob fell asleep quickly at bedtime. And Jeff & I were out cold as soon as we closed our eyes.

It was a great weekend.