The Day Before Independence Day

We celebrated the 4th on the 3rd. I loaded the boys up in the car and we headed to Grandmom's & Granddad's (known to adults as Pam & Sam) house at the lake. We planned an overnight at their house to celebrate Independence Day and visit with them & Nani (known to adults as...Nani). We were also looking forward to seeing Uncle Scott, Aunt Tricia, and Daniel & Lainey, who were spending the evening there. Last year, we participated in the July 4th festivities Grandmom's & Granddad's community offered: pony rides (well, Jacob stayed on the pony exactly long enough for 1 picture), a bouncy house (which Jacob absolutely loved, but I would have enjoyed more if not for the many scary near-concussion moments with other wild, huge kids), and fireworks over the lake. We planned to do the same thing this year, but the kids were sidetracked by all of the fun things to do at their house instead. And after all of the fun in the lake, a delicious dinner, and a much needed bath for the kids, we drove out on the boat, and had a beautiful view of the fireworks that were shot up in the sky over the lake. Brace yourselves, because you're about to be bombarded with a ridiculous amount of pictures. I'm not even sure this qualifies as a blog post. Basically, it's just an excuse to post lots & lots of pictures.

Granddad, Grandmom, and Nani with the 4 grandkids before all of the fun in the water started. Every adult & child wore a flag t-shirt. Cute or corny? We think cute! :)


We didn't get a picture of the 4 of us, but even though my hair looked horrendous, I was happy Tricia took one of me with my boys.


Jacob & his cousin, Daniel, swimming in the lake. They were content to spend the whole afternoon out in the water.








Granddad helping Jacob enjoy the inner tube.


It's a 3 way tie between which of these sand activities is Jacob's favorite: drawing in it, squishing it in between his fingers, or throwing it.




While Jacob was enjoying the lake, Alex was helping Grandmom on the boat.




Alex always thinks other people's hats will look better on him. Granddad's is no exception. I'll let you decide who you think wears it best.


Jeff wasn't able to join us down at the lake until after work, so he missed the first boat ride. Since Jacob was eager to swim in the lake during our first boat ride of the day, Uncle Scott volunteered to get in with him.


Even though she was only letting him nibble and slurp on the rim of the can, Alex thought he was getting a drink of his first soda. He knew he made the right decision when he chose to sit in Grandmom's lap.


In the next picture, you'll see what Jacob found so amusing.


It was even funnier when Uncle Scott fell off the inner tube.


Although the kids scarfed down some appetizers on the boat, they still made room for corn on the cob at dinner. Tricia gets credit for this adorable shot.


After dinner & a bath, the kids were in their pj's and ready for another boat ride. This time, we'd see the fireworks.

Jacob was happy when Daddy made it to the lake after work.


Jacob liked using the binoculars to check out the fireworks.






It was past Alex's bedtime while we were out on the boat watching fireworks, so at first he was a little fussy. Luckily, he got a second wind, and really enjoyed the show. He liked to wave to the fireworks.




It was also Jacob's bedtime, so near the end of the show, he relaxed on Daddy.


Jacob came over to me during the fireworks, put his arm around me, and snuggled up against me. He asked me, "Wanna see the fireworks?" And we'd look up, point at the especially pretty ones, and talk about their colors. I was watching him gaze up at the sky, and when he looked over at me, he said, "Wanna see another one?" When I answered yes, he grabbed my chin, and turned my head toward the fireworks. He did this several more times. I don't think he noticed that I was purposely looking away from the fireworks just because it was so cute when he turned my head for me.


It was about 9:30 when we got back to the house after the fireworks. The boys were sleeping in their beds by 10, and our bedtime wasn't long after.
The next morning, Jeff & Granddad played golf while the rest of us binged on waffles at breakfast. Or maybe I was the only one who binged. I was too busy eating to notice how many waffles everyone else ate. Grandmom & Jacob played outside and did a little bit of fishing. Hailey even enjoyed the outdoors when she managed to escape from the screened porch. I enjoyed my morning jog chasing after her, watching her take a bathroom break in a neighbor's yard and continue to dart away in spite of my repeated bribes of "Come get a bone!" or "Do you want some cheese?" I took this picture before she decided to explore the neighborhood.



My cute boys in their matching "My Dad Rocks" shirts from Grandmom.




It was a long, busy, tiring, action packed couple of days, but all of us had a wonderful time celebrating Independence Day at the lake! Because they went to a neighbor's party, we missed our annual tradition of having our own family fireworks show at my parents' house (Pop Pop is BIG into fireworks. Don't ask me if they're legal.). I hope Pop Pop is already starting to stock up on his supplies because we expect an incredible show next year to make up for it. :)