Our 4th of July weekend

On the 4th, we went to Bonanzaville where there was a parade and a whole lot of "old stuff" to look at. It's pretty awesome that we have this little historical site to check out right in our city. I had also run that 5k in the morning which also took place here.

Daddy was thrilled to explain every little thing about every little tractor, car, or train that went by. The parade consisted of some of the old vehicles that Bonanzaville has so of course he took full advantage.

Audrey was more impressed with the true signs of patriotism all around. She waved her flag proudly.

We headed out to the lake the next day and the weather was perfect. Spending time in the sun with family is pretty much the best we could ask for! I finally took some pictures of the property and not just the kids. When we drive in, we get this awesome secluded-from-the-world feeling because the trees hide the driveway perfectly.

As you turn the corner (not far off the road but tucked down and back a little ways so you aren't driving hardly at all before you get to the house but still feel far away from the busy highway) you get an awesome view with the house straight ahead and the lake right off to the side.

There is nothing like the feeling you get when you open the doors of the vehicle and step out. It's shady yet breezy enough to keep most bugs off, and the sun manages to slip in just the right amount. Seriously, I don't know if it's the angle of the property off the lake, the trees, or just our imaginations, but it's wonderful. A gift from God for sure.

Josie got to go on another boat ride, this time with mommy and daddy and daddy's boat. We've hardly used this poor boat since we got it, so we tried to make up for it at least a little. Although it was pretty late for Josie girl, we headed out to a lake nearby that was a little bigger with a public access location. It was a lot of fun, even though we weren't sure that we were going to get off the lake when the motor just quit part of the way through our ride. It came back to life, though, and we did make it safely home. I managed to keep smiling and not show any sign of panic and for that I am quite proud.

We also got to go strawberry picking. We did this last year too but this time around we had to battle the rain. Interesting experience, picking strawberries as fast as you can so you can run out of there to avoid the downpour. We didn't avoid it, by the way. Not even close. But we didn't mind so much since Josie loved it again. She ate a lot of them and maybe put two in the bucket. She probably took at least five out of the bucket too...

Here she is last year:

And this year:

We didn't mess around this time. Straight up body-suit bib so she could eat as many as she wanted without staining a single piece of clothing. Brilliant move, Grammy. 

"Can we ride da boat plleeeeeease?" Who can say no to that? Off we went on another boat ride the next day...

Hubby managed to get our boat in the small lake my parents live on which is no small feat since there is no public access and the shores are quite shallow. Proof! (See below).

We also just spent some time playing quietly indoors because the humidity level sky rocketed. Ick. Josie and I had yet another tea party and she took care of her only-at-the-lake daughter "Ida". Seriously, though. Still loving that name for her baby. She's a clever one, that Josie.

And finally, Josie and I finished out the weekend with a walk through our own enchanted forest. The area around my parents' lake home is full of trees in undeveloped lakeside property. My dad has lovingly created walking paths throughout it so that we can go on adventures around the lake and not just on the highway. It's awesome! Except the mosquitoes which are everywhere. I shudder just thinking about them. Have I mentioned that there is something about me that draws them directly to me? I do. It's awful. Anyway, we walked through, me braving the bugs while Josie seemed unaffected. She didn't even have any bite marks while I was covered in welts. I digress again, though, because what I meant to point out was that this is such a cool path and I actually took pictures along the way.

the entrance

*I apologize for the wonky font sizes. What is up with that, blogger?*

 

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