Happy 4th!

Another 4th of July with the Hulchers and Masons in the books.  We had a great time and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend.  In fact, we almost missed the parade because my weather app and all the weather channels were talking about a tropical storm and I thought it was going to be rained out.  Luckily we hit the road and got there just in time to hop on the float - and realize my app was completely wrong.  It was windy, but otherwise just fine.  Everyone had done a great job getting together the float.  Clay had the riding lawnmower as a fish and the float was the USS Springfield beach.  We even had a bucket of "chum" - candy - to throw to people.  Fielder thought it was awesome to ride on it and even better when he discovered the candy.

 Uncle Chuck, Sam, and new puppy Maddie

 There were no stinging nettles at all in the water so we had a weekend full of swimming, boating, riding the jet ski, and even water skiing.  I LOVE to water ski but hadn't done it in years - it was so fun to try it again!

 Fielder loved all of it, with the exception of the Hobie Cat (maybe because I wasn't on it??) and the tubing.  Neither of my kids were a fan of "Big Mable" although Samara was a pro riding on it!

 I think the kids would have stayed in the hammock swing all weekend if they could.  

 The awesome new float - perfect on a beautiful day with no nettles.  It even has a little "pool" in the middle.  I'd have spent my day here with a book and a drink, but the kids weren't having that :-)

 Although I was exhausted, it was a great time.  We opted for no nap so that Fielder could play all day and sleep good that night.  He was a bear to get to sleep, but he slept straight through the fireworks and all the commotion of people going to bed that night.  Claire and I huddled together on the pier and watched the fireworks - literally right over our heads.  She loved it!  Saturday we played hard until mid-afternoon and hit the road.  Both kids were almost immediately asleep in the car!

THANK YOU Hulchers for all that you do to make the 4th such a fun weekend for us.  And thanks to the Masons too!