Thurs. July 4, 2013 - the first time we all liked fireworks!

 We paid a visit to the fire department for a fire permit and came home with helmets and badges

 A bite for baby...

 ...a bite for Micaela

 Daddy reading stories to his girls on a beautiful 4th of July morning

And teaching them how to operate the sand digger...we love having Daddy home for a long holiday!

 Micaela is frighteningly resourceful. She pushed the chair from the desk over to the counter...

 ...climbed up...

reached for the blueberries...

 And helped herself.

 Green beans from the seeds Riley planted for me on Mother's Day

 Our BBQ hosts had a lot of bubbles, which was great since all kids spilled them but wanted more

 Our friends have a fantastic home right on Lake Winnebago

 Chillaxin' with Daddy

 Micaela and her friend Sophie loved sitting in the wagon, even when it wasn't going anywhere

 Ladder toss (I think this game had another name but we called it ladder toss in front of the kids)

 We brought red (strawberry cupcakes), white (whipped cream) and blue (blueberries on top) cupcakes for dessert

 Sophie pushed while Micaela drove

The kids were really good about taking turns

We challenged our hosts, Anna and Craig, to a game of cornhole

  

As I've gotten older, I have NOT become less competitive

  

 Girls watching fireworks...for the first time, neither of the little ones were afraid!

 This was one of our favorite ones

We had a fantastic 4th of July this year. It was so nice to have Chad home with us for a very long weekend. We had time to do some jobs around the house and still relax and play. We were invited to a great BBQ with friends. Chad felt like he had the day off because for once, he was not in charge of the grill. We brought pasta salad made with ingredients from the farmers's market and strawberry cupcakes made with strawberries we had just picked topped with whipped cream and blueberries. I loved making everything. 

Our friends have an awesome house right on Lake Winnebago. The breeze off the lake made the warm temperatures more comfortable but certainly made the backyard tossing games more challenging. The kids and the adults all had a great time. Later we took a short walk along to lake to watch fireworks. I wasn't sure if the girls would last until the fireworks started and even if they did, if they would like them. Riley and Micaela were both such troopers and stayed happy hours past their bedtimes. We all loved the fireworks; Riley is still talking about which were her favorites. What a great holiday spent together as a family!