"The 4th"

We had a very low key 4th of July, which is unusual for us. My sister, Lily's, birthday is on the 4th so we always went to Gull Lake to celebrate both the holiday and her birthday and have lots of fun on the lake. Since we are so far away this year we went to a local 4th of July parade and was planning on going to the park that was having a bunch of activities and fireworks afterwards. However, on the way home from dinner Riley fell asleep in the car (at 6:00) we put her in bed because she hadn't gotten a nap and Ty said if she woke up he'd take her to the fireworks. However, she slept until 7 the next morning so we didn't even get fireworks this year. Lincoln would never had made it until 10 or 10:30pm so we just skipped them all together. Maybe next year. Riley does not like loud noises anyways, so I don't think she would have been thrilled anways...

Ri and Ty went to the "store" to get something to drink because they were thirsty.

Thank goodness the kids are easily amused because, to be honest, this parade was pretty lame :). They were just happy have gotten candy thrown at them.

4th of July Weekend (part 2)

Here's our 4th of July weekend, part 2, recap in pictures. We went to my Mom's house on Gull Lake and celebrated my sister, Lily's, 12th birthday. We also spent the day on the Lake, tubing and enjoying the beautiful weather. Riley is always excited about going on the boat and we left Lincoln home with my mom so Ty and I could enjoy it as well. The water was chilly and I was hoping to not get wet, but I just couldn't resist tubing with Lily a couple of times, one of which I was tossed off the tube. Oh well, it was worth it...

It was a smaller group than normal. Jori was on a missions tri pto Ecuador with Kasey and Corey. Kolby and Britton were in Missouri for a wedding and my Grandma had just had surgery so she didn't feel well enough to make the drive. Even with the smaller group we still had a great time catching up and even got to meet my cousin's new(!) baby .

Riley and Lily swimming in Gull Lake.

Enjoying the wind blowing in our faces

Riley's all ready to go swimming! This picture cracks me up everytime I see it...

Ty and Ri taking a ride on the motorized scooter

Lincoln was throwing a fit because he wanted the whole bratwurst instead of the tiny pieces I cut up for him, so I just gave the whole thing to him and he was a happy camper.

4th of July Weekend (part 1)

I always forget how much fun the 4th of July is until that time comes. We took the kids on Saturday afternoon to the Parade in Richland and they just loved it! We got there a little early, picked out our spot on the road and ate lunch while we waved our flags and waited for the parade to start. The kids weren't thrilled with the fire engines at the beginning of the parade, in fact this is what Riley did the entire time they were going by:


Lincoln wasn't thrilled either, actually he just wasn't happy because we woke him from his nap to go to the parade. He purked up after lunch and sat on Daddy's lap the entire time and was so content. Riley LOVED when the cars or clown went by and would throw her candy. She quickly stood up and grabbed all of it, each time asking if she could eat it. When the candy would fall in the road she'd grab my hand or looked at me to give her permission to "go in the road" to pick it up. I'm so glad she knows she's not suppose to be playing in the road. :)

What a fun time to spend as a family! We skipped fireworks that night for a couple of reasons: 1. It was WAY past the kids' bedtime and Riley hadn't gotten her nap but really I would have kept them up but...2. Ri is terrified of loud noises and I just knew she wouldn't enjoy it. I mean, she still gets upset and scared when I turn my hairdryer on! So, next year for sure we'll enjoy them...maybe they won't bother her next year!

4th of July Weekend

What a GREAT weekend for the 4th of July! Beautiful weather spent with family and friends. On Friday, the 4th of July, we spend the afternoon at my Mom's at Gull Lake. The 4th is also my sister, Lily's, birthday (she turned 10) so we had a cookout and then spent the entire afternoon on the lake, boating and tubing. It was Riley's first time on a boat and she loved it! She didn't like the wind at first, but we were out there for probably 2 hours with her and she didn't whine once and watched in awe. My brother, Kol, and other sister, Jori, and I all went tubing together--it was so fun. I was finally not pregnant during the summer so I was able to do it this year :). After we were finished on the boat we went inside for cake and ice cream, then we left to get Riley to bed. We had a great time and hope to spend more afternoons on the lake!

Ri and I on the boat

Jori, Kolby, Ty and Riley

She's becoming quite the daddy's little girl...

My mom, Lincoln, Riley and I

Then on Saturday we had our friends Nich and Jennie and their daughter Hailey (she just turned 2) over for the day. Riley and Hailey play very well together, we're thankful that Riley has little friends to play with! We all went swimming at our pool, then had dinner, and watched my favorite show--COPS :)! I miss hanging out with them all the time since we've moved but am thankful we still have the chance since we're not too far. Here are some pictures of the girls swimming:

Best Buds! Hailey and Riley (and Lincoln in the back too).

SWIMMING!

It was cold, so Jennie and I let the guys go first. :)

Sunday we went up to Jackson/Spring Arbor (where we moved from) for a friend's birthday party (was suppose to be a surprise, but ended up not being much of a surprise :)!). We did a little shopping beforehand in Jackson and then went to their place. They lived right next door to us in married housing before we moved. Riley was a maniac in their place and we couldn't contain her very well...it's hard when the place isn't completely baby-proofed. But she had a blast playing with friends Hunter and Caden! What a weekend...busy, but so fun.