Happy 4th of July!

Even with the rain, this weekend was a blast and a complete success. It's definitely one of the best 4th of July weekends I can remember. Laid back, full of family and friends and lots of good food...perfect.

Tim was able to take a day off so we headed out on Friday. The lake was almost empty, which made it the perfect time to take two small kiddos out on the boat. Brenden had skipped right on past naptime at 1 pm so I assumed he would pass out a little early for the night. He surprised us all by climbing into my lap while we were riding around the lake and promptly falling asleep. No amount of bumping could wake him up and he snoozed until we had to get him off the boat at the shore.

Brenden swimming with grandma and grandpa.

That night was low-key, just hanging out, drinking beer and eating super yummy food. Our only exciting moment came when we were driving back to Mike and Connie's house. (We stayed there with Lauren while Brenden stayed in the camper with his grandparents.) We were headed into town to get Tim a fishing license when the red and blue flashing lights started. I initially assumed Tim was speeding but he told me he was behind a slow car and wasn't anywhere near the speed limit. It turns out we had a light out over our tag, which he got a warning for. The police officer was just trying to find drunk drivers who were driving back from the lake. It was no big deal and I was personally glad that they were doing their best to keep us all safe.

Lauren was festive!

The next morning dawned bright and early for Tim. He and his dad left the house by 6 am to go fishing and had a pretty successful trip. I believe they caught 6 fish, all of which they gave to their neighbor. By the time Lauren and I were up and dressed it was cloudy and drizzling and when we made it to the lake it was all out raining. After about an hour of trying to keep Lauren warm and dry we decided it would be best to head back to the house. Brenden was the only one that was upset. He was having a blast playing in the puddles and the runoff from the canopy. The rest of the day was like one big nap for all of us. It wasn't terrible being forced to relax, but it wasn't the lake day we all wanted.

Happy boy.

The 4th was supposed to be just as gross as Saturday but it surprised us all. It was cloudy, but the rain held off all day until dinner was ready. We had the chance to head out on the boat to watch Mike, Tim and Nathan water ski and let Brenden ride in the innertube with Tim. Brenden really wanted to water ski and was a complete, sobbing mess until grandpa explained that he could learn to water ski when he's 7 years old. Every time he got upset after that I would just ask him how old he was and explain that he had to be 7. Somehow that worked!

Two different outfit. She's only slightly spoiled. :)

It may have been a soggy few days and we didn't see any formal fireworks, but it was wonderful. Good food, beer, family and friends...it can't be beat. Add to that the fact that I was able to get all of our laundry done on Monday after we got home and I would call that a truly awesome weekend.