4th of July

Our long 4th of July weekend was pretty low-key since Chris, Oliver and Soren were out of town. They went to the cabin, where they met their aunt and uncle and Watson, their Goldendoodle. A long weekend at the cabin included what you would expect - lots of family time and time spent on (or in) the water.

Both the boys really enjoy tubing, and Oliver tried waterskiing for the first time.  We learned that he's one really strong kid, and not because he got up on skis the first try, but because he didn't let go of the rope and instead held on for dear life as he was dragged across the water for 20 feet. That experience began and ended Oliver's attempt at waterskiing for the weekend.

Soren also wanted to give waterskiing a try, so Chris strapped the skis on his feet, but the thought of bobbing around in the water was too much for him and he decided trying the skis on in the water was good enough.  

Until the kids grow bigger and stronger for waterskiing, the pedal boat is more their speed.  Chris sat in the middle and Oliver and Soren did all the pedaling.  They don't move very fast, but I think they found satisfaction in making the boat go all by themselves.

A 4th of July tradition on Mule Lake, as well as I'm sure many lakes across Minnesota, is the boat parade. Every decks their boats, from pedals boats to pontoons, in red, white and blue and then makes a loop around the lake, waving to those on shore or on the docks.

Chris' Uncle Clyde visited a couple of times and took the boys fishing. Soren caught the biggest fish, a 10-inch Rock Bass, but he loses interest quickly and didn't fish anymore after that. Meanwhile, Oliver's persistence meant he caught the most fish of the group.

A throw-back picture (circa 2012) of Oliver catching his first fish!

Like their Grandma Nan, the boys like a good campfire.  Watson even helped Oliver hunt for sticks and once they got the fire going, they did their other favorite activity - making S'mores.  

The boys were able to share a twin bed, which is convenient for a cabin short of bedrooms and bed space.  Unfortunately, this is probably the last summer they'll be able to do that since Oliver is getting too big.  Chris checked on them one evening and Oliver's feet were shoved in Soren's face with a big toe angling precariously towards Soren's nose.

I stayed back in St. Paul with Kiera and Matteo where we enjoyed a mostly quiet weekend. The weather was so nice - sunny, but not too hot or humid - and we spent a lot of time outside.

It wasn't all fun though.  Did you know there are dentists in the Twin Cities open 365 days a year?  I didn't know either until Matteo cracked a tooth and I desperately searched for an alternative to the ER. Once Matteo's tooth was fixed though, he was back to his old self before the Lidocaine wore off and we resumed our weekend.

While the days were nice, the late evenings were tiring and we didn't even go anywhere, not even to a late night fireworks display.  Instead the fireworks came to us. For three nights in a row, it sounded like fireworks were being set off in our backyard. I realized that they were being set off in the park across the alley from us. Kiera slept with her noise-cancellation headphones on every night.

I eventually adopted a "If you can't beat them, join them" attitude and lounged in my bed and watched the fireworks shoot over the trees in the park. I was still excited that a big storm rolled in tonight.  Even with the thunder, I predict a better night's sleep.

It was a little tough getting up early on the morning of the 4th of July, but it was worth it once we were out in the strawberry patch picking the last of Minnesota's strawberry crop. We lucked out with beautiful weather and enjoyed sitting in the sun even after we'd finished gorging ourselves on berries.