Back to Life. Back to Reality.

How do you combine your favorite people on earth

+ your favorite place on earth  

+ your favorite holiday ever?

Carter with Aunt Emily and our Blueberry Flag Cake

You throw naptimes, schedules, and bedtimes to the wind for a crazy weekend of fun!

You also find as many chances as you can to do it OVER and OVER and OVER again!

Over the past 7 days, We celebrated the 4th of July twice, have been to the beach twice, went to my Mom's house twice, Steve's Mom's house twice, and made Bedtime--once...maybe twice, if you count Addison crashing at Gma's at 4:00.

 

The Fourth IS my favorite holiday and I LOVE fireworks!  The big ones!  The feel-the-boom-in-your-chest ones!  The avoid-if-you-wear-a-pacemaker ones!  But not the illegal ones...really, neighbors.  And I LOVE sharing this holiday with these little kids!  The fireworks are just as amazing to them as they are for me!  And I LOVE watching the fireworks at the beach, where we can watch them fall right into the water, like falling stars...this was Addison's favorite part as he still is talking about "Fall...Water!"

 

I love the beach.  Just seeing the glorious HUGE Beautiful Lake Michigan calms me into believing I'm far away from all worries.  This could be why this past Saturday felt like the best non-holiday day so far this summer!   We left all our housework, yard work, {and anything else that felt like work} behind and spent an entire carefree day at the shore side.  We had a fantastic picnic at my parents' house {affectionately referred to as "The Beach House" on occasions like this}, then headed down to the beach. We were so surprised when Steve's Mom & Sisters decided to go to the beach the same day (an almost 2 hour drive for them!)  We loved being with them and especially the playtime they had with the boys...and for me, I LOVED the chance to go swim and play in the water with Steve knowing the kids were well taken care of!

Now, we all know I LOVE my baby girl, but nothing says "I LOVE YOU" back as this hug did!

I could even carry her all the way out in the water!  She was probably just being smart not to touch the freezing water, but I'll take a sign of love if I can see it!

We also discovered Alana loves cherries...and would look good in lipstick!

 After hours of sand and water play, we ordered pizza and ate it right at the beach...including the mishap of moving the *heavy* picnic table under an awning as a flash storm came in.  Nothing that the buff Steve and Brian couldn't handle!  {Why don't we have a pic?  Oh yeah, because we were herding 5 children and a bizillion bags and sand toys out of the rain!}

After showers at the said Beach House, amazing Blueberry Apple Crisp {Thanks Cheri for the life-saving, friend-getting recipe!} and bidding adieu to our dear friends who came with us, My parents joined us as we went to see "The Sound of Music" at the outdoor theater right there on the beach!  It was so much fun; Almost magical!  Carter was enthralled with it all, Addison just wanted to dance, and Alana was clapping the whole time! 

It reminded me of ME when I was 2 and was watching Annie in this same theater--singing EVERY word to the songs at the top of my lungs!  {Not that I remember, but my Mom tells me about it.  And Cheri, Taryn would have been doing the same thing during "Do, Re, Mi!"}. 

Now let's remember that it is 10 o'clock by the time we leave (still during the first act).  No joke, my kids have stayed up later in the last 7 days than EVER in their lives.  They are normal 7-7:30 bedtimers, but falling asleep has found record times since the 4th, being:

July 2nd-9PM family dinner date,

3rd-11PM Fireworks,

4th-2AM Fireworks (and something about running out of gas on the tollway, we don't have to talk about it),

5th-9PM BBQ with friends,

6th-well, thank goodness for the 6th when they fell asleep so easy at Gma's house--out by 7!,

7th-9PM , Gpa M, Steve's brother+sis.in.law, and 2 cousins came to visit

8th-I don't know, I was at Girls Night *hooray* and Steve won't say

9th-for obvious reasons the parents fell asleep WITH the kids by 8pm

10th-10PM, Beach and Theater

 This might be why they've been falling asleep everywhere.  Strangers were even taking a picture of this:  Carter and Alana sharing pillow space on the bus!

Adorable and Fun as this has all been, I think my ship has landed and we will return to normal life.

Welcome back. Thank you.