Happy 4th of July

Every year we pack up the kids, dogs, fireworks, etc and head to the family lake cottage for the 4th. We started doing this maybe 5 years ago and when Jeremy figured out how much fun he can have with fireworks, we were hooked.

It's small in terms of lakes and not crowded, so it's just the perfect place to relax. In fact it's mostly deserted until the weekenders show up for the holiday. We boat, swim, nap, eat, boat and eat some more.

There are about 6-8 cabins on the water that go nuts with fireworks, Jeremy being one of them. The house directly across the lake actually has a professional license and their show is in perfect view for us. Along with a couple of neighbor guys, our side of the lake tries not to be outdone (but we usually are).

I didn't get any firework pictures but have a few to show. Can you believe these were taken with Jeremy's phone? It's new and fancy and better than our actual camera, go figure.

Rosie napped with Tessa on the way there


Charley loved driving the boat and pushing buttons, a little too much at times.



boat captains



and boat passengers


Tessa and I anxiously awaiting the fireworks
Here's the pyro and his setup. A few years back he built a little launchpad for optimal shooting.

We put on a little junior show for Tessa of small stuff and fountains, and then put her to bed. The real fireworks didn't start until well after 10pm because it was still light. She LOVED her little show and is still talking about it. She slept fine with all the noise but did wake up a couple of times to tell me it was storming outside.


Hayden napped with Tessa on the way back.