4th of July Festivities

Oh boy we packed in the fun this year. We definitely took advantage of one of the last weekends before baby #3 comes. Since the 4th was on a Thursday this year we (or I decided and made Troy go with the plan :) took off Wednesday and Friday to make it a very nice long weekend. Our first stop was at Gma and Gpa Appeldorn’s where the weather couldn’t have been more perfect to swim all day long.

Sevea was a pro by the end of the day at jumping in all by herself. Okay she wore the swim wings the whole time but she’d go under and pop up without it phasing her. She enjoyed herself so much that when she went to swimming lessons she was bummed that they didn’t let her jump in on her own. Cohen absolutely loved the water and did not like being in or on anything that kept him out of it. No floatie action for him. He really enjoyed playing on the stairs where he took time to practice blowing bubbles. We are bummed that our chances to swim again with gma and gpa are not very likely with the new baby coming soon. Thanks for an incredibly fun day Gma & Gpa Appeldorn!!! You can be sure we’ll try to make it more next year!

After our fun filled day of swimming we headed to see the cousins. We packed in as much fun as we could on Wednesday night until we left Saturday morning. It was exhausting to say the least but soooooo worth it. We enjoyed a lot of time outside, fireworks, and a trip to the zoo.

At daycare we I made shirts for all the kids to wear. It was a pinterest find and I think it turned out great. A cheap way to get into the holiday spirit. And if you notice Sevea’s hair I can thank pinterest for that as well. If you can’t tell there is a star shape there. It was simple to do and Sevea thought it was really neat.

On the 4th we spent time with Brock’s family. They do a get together every year and were gracious enough to allow us to join in on the fun. We get to see them quite often when we visit the Buchert family and they are always great at making us feel welcome. Most of the adults partook in the bean bag tournament while the kids had fun running around the yard and playing with the cars and playhouse. Eventually it was time for a tradition they do every year. They shoot off fireworks that are parachutes. All the kids went across the street to a big field next to the park and waited for their turn to chase down the parachute. This year the wind made the whole event a little interesting to say the least but the kids LOVED it. A tradition I can see why they keep. A fun time was had by all.

We ended the night back at the Buchert’s house and once it got dark the fireworks came out. The kids really enjoyed getting to play with the sparklers and watching the big ones lit off by Brock. We may not have gone somewhere to see a big fireworks show but enjoyed our night just as much with what we had. And the best part was their neighbors put on an incredible show the next night. Briella put it best, “You pay for them, we watch them!”

As you might have seen Brezlyn was in a cast so swimming or water activities weren’t on the agenda. We decided to go to the zoo in Watertown, SD for a day of fun. After a picnic lunch we braved the heat and set out to see the animals.

Cohen loved this big fish. He tried to kiss it through the glass (yes, gross…dirty germ filled glass). The fish was really cool in that if you put your fingers on the glass it would try to get them.

There were a lot of baby animals and it was fun to see how the parents interacted with the babies. We got to see a monkey feeding its baby. Despite the heat the kids enjoyed it. I think the slushies we got helped :)

After the zoo we enjoyed ice cream and made our way back to the Buchert’s. We enjoyed another night by the fire and felt thankful for all the time together. This little vacation was so great for quality family time. Even though times like this leave you exhausted and feeling like you need a vacation to recover from your vacation, we feel so grateful for such good times with family. It’s what life is all about!