Went North: The Fourth

I honestly think the Fourth of July may be my favorite day of the year. There is such irony in that feeling as the 4th is also one of the saddest days the Johnson family ever had. My Grandma Johnson passed away unexpectedly on the Fourth almost forty years ago. And now, we find we are drawn to each other on that day. I imagine her watching the chaos and fun of the day - and hopefully smiling along with us all.

We were lucky again this year and had the most wonderful weather. Gorgeous sunny skies (with a few clouds to help take down the intensity of the sun), hot weather, and a slight breeze to keep the bugs away! We got in the water around 11:30 and the rain chased out around 8pm. Needless to say, it was a full day in the lake - and we loved every moment of it!

I learned from rereading last year's blog post - and let the kids go in the water before the flotilla so their core body temperature was lower and therefore were less likely to overheat on the boat ride. As always, plentiful snacks were available as well and we had such a lovely boat ride around the lake. And as soon as the pontoon docked, it was into the water for the gang! We stopped only long enough to shove food into their bellies and then it was back in the water again.

Mid-afternoon, we decided to test out the new tube. It can officially hold six small cousins and Mike. Or five small cousins and Em and Liv. Mike made the inaugural ride with the troops, out to the middle of the lake where we all jumped in for some mid-lake swimming. Then most of the kids loaded back into the tube with Emmy and Liv. While calm compared to the tube rides that Anna, Liv, Em, and I used to take when we were kids, we did bounce the kids around quite a bit on the trek back. Fiona did not stop shrieking with glee the entire time!

After the boat ride, it was cabin game time. First up, the kids had to find a piece of bubble gum on a plate of whipped cream - and first to blow a bubble won. Really, it's just for the best whipped cream face photo ops! Game two got the adults involved as well. [Almost] everyone put an oreo on their forehead and had to get it into their mouth without hands. Only Luke and Quinn actually managed to complete the task (go Q!), but man, it was fun to watch as a spectator. Pro tip: have extra oreoes so that small humans can trade in the ones that fell on the ground for fresh ones to eat. 

We grabbed a quick dinner (leftover lunch) and jumped back in the lake one more time. Extraction was easier than expected as some storm clouds moved in. Bedtime was easy and silent - not surprising after such a great day!