Summer is going to do me in, and I mean that in the best way possible. Our friends Jay and Stacy (who got married in January) arrived Friday morning to kick off another fun-packed weekend.
Though we weren’t sure what the weather held in store, we braved it and headed out that afternoon to our local YMCA, which always puts together a pretty great 4th of July fest.
A couple of bounce houses and obstacle courses later, the girls were having a ball.
The skies started to darken so we headed over to Ultimate Ales to meet up with some more friends and grab a brewski.
The kids ran around and played with the giant Connect Four game, then I nailed the perfect kid group pic.
Ha.
This above picture obviously told us it was time to head home and put the girls down.
On the actual fourth, we chowed down on some breakfast casserole.
Then loaded up the boat. Late morning our sitter arrived and the four of us adults headed out on the lake for some boating fun!
I LOVE being with my kids. I love the boat. But sometimes (all the time) boating with kids is the opposite of relaxing. I’m always picking some up off the floor, handing out snacks or singing songs so to just be able to head out on the lake, soak up the warmth, chat about adult stuff and even close my eyes was an incredible experience.
As luck would have it, we ran across Julie and Ryan out on the water- love them! We all floated and chatted for a long while, disregarding the rain that sprinkled occasionally and avoiding the large fish that seemed to be making the rounds and nibbling on everyone.
Unfortunately, that’s when my pictures stop, which speaks to the fun I was having. We got back home late afternoon and grabbed the girls to go swimming. We got them back home in time for some dinner and bed as Julie and Ryan arrived. Burgers, fireworks and hanging by the fire filled the rest of the wonderful evening.
Poor Koda is terrified of fireworks, so she stayed inside, but Julie’s adorable vizsla, Sadie, took to snuggling up with me and it pretty much made my night.
I woke up Sunday a little tired and in need of lemon water (I seem to have decided on vodka soda as my beverage of choice Saturday night and it’s been a long while since I’ve had any kind of liquor- whew!). We spent the morning sipping coffee and chatting with our friends before they finally had to head back to reality, so we did too. We spent the day cleaning and laundering, breaking briefly to swim with the girls in the lake… in the rain. Hailey loved it, shrieking and giggling the whole time.
And now begins another week!
How did you celebrate the 4th?
Do the fireworks upset anyone in your family?
Both the girls snoozed right through them but poor Koda just isn’t a fan!
John J. says
Fun time on the 4th! Tough to beat lake living and fireworks. Great pics of the kids, and you adults, too!
Alex @ get big, go to work says
Looks like y’all had a great holiday weekend!! It looks like it is so much fun to live on a lake – albeit a little work I guess when you have kids! We had a low-key holiday at home in Richmond.
Brittany Dixon says
I do feel incredibly spoiled to have a lake so close. It definitely means I’m always on my toes with the girls around, but I love it! Glad you had a great 4th- sometimes low key holidays are the best!
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Sounds like a fun weekend! We didn’t do too much, although we didn’t bum it all day long and did go to a friend’s place for a pool party. 🙂
Heather@hungryforbalance says
So so jealous of all the fun time spent on the lake! It looks like such a great weekend!
Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says
What a fun weekend! I’m glad you had a fun 4th of July!
Julie says
Our dogs aren’t fans of the fireworks either. One of them so much so that she decided she’d just potty inside thankyouverymuch! 🙁
Brittany Dixon says
Oh no!! That’s the pits. We put Koda in her crate with a baseball game turned up loud to try and drown out the noise. Poor scared pups!… and poor you having to clean up that mess 😉
Heather says
Looks like you had a great weekend! We took our kids to a couple of local carnivals with family and let the kids stay up way past their bedtime. It was fun until it wasn’t. Ha ha. Our preschooler was not a fan of the fireworks (too loud) and our toddler was on the fence and also super tired – they both were. Both had a blast, though and our son even won himself a prize!
Brittany Dixon says
Ha!! That’s the story of parenthood isn’t it?! Fun… until it’s not 😉
Even on those tougher nights, that’s where the memories are made though. Love that your son won a prize- it’s so exciting for them at that age!
Sarah says
Isn’t it so funny how things that used to always be so fun and relaxing now seem like a chore when you have little kids around? That is probably one of the hardest things that my husband and I are struggling with adjusting to since becoming parents. But I try not to complain and just enjoy the moments anyways (singing songs and handing out snacks – to both kids and adults – definitely helps!) I keep telling myself that the kids will only be little for so long. Someday I’ll look back on these times and laugh!
Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says
Love the festive outfits on the girls! Also, Hailey is looking pretty grown up! Has she been growing recently? She looks tall!
Brittany Dixon says
She has shot up like a weed! It’s crazy to me how tall she is (doesn’t get that from me- I’m a shorty!). I keep threatening to put a book on her head to keep her from growing anymore 😉
Jen says
Sounds and looks fun! Hailey is so grown up looking now, it’s crazy.
Over here in the Asheville neck of the woods it rained and rained and rained. Bummer. Plus, having a 14 month old doesn’t really make for a crazy 4th, so we did some shopping and had dinner with the grandparents.
Alyssa @ Renaissancerunnergirl says
Spending the 4th on the water with good friends sounds ideal! And I love the outfits on those little ones – I miss buying a new 4th of July fireworks tank top at Old Navy every summer for camp.