4th of July

Every year we spend the 4th of July at the lake.

It's a wonderful time of family, food, fireworks, food, floating, food, fishing & food. I'm not kidding about the food.

This year we had a smaller crowd than normal due to the really unusual weather. With it being rainy and the highs only in the 70's we had a lot of inside fellowship. And food.

When we arrived on Tuesday evening we had no idea that this was the last we would see of the sunshine.

But the kids were happy to see each other and we had plenty of food to cook, eat, clean up, reheat, eat...you get it. {Why didn't I take a picture of all the food?! Oh yeah, we were too busy eating it!}

On Wednesday there was about a 20 minute break in the rain & you better believe we changed those children in their swimsuits as fast as humanly possible & dunked them in the lake because "We're gonna swim & have fun! IT'S THE 4TH OF JULY!!!" Seriously, 20 minutes later the rain started again. And it was cold.

We headed back up to the porch & consoled ourselves with some cookies. 

On Thursday, the actual 4th of July, the weather was just as grim. And we had already completed all the puzzles the day before. And my child was signing "please" 100x a minute while banging on the glass doors. So, despite the rain my fearless husband took our child for a swim. And due to the cold rain he lasted all of about 10 minutes. 
  But thankfully since it was the actual 4th of July we had some very festive brownies to warm up with! And corn dip! And cheese dip! And hamburgers & hotdogs! And Sunshine Butter! Oh yes, SUNSHINE BUTTER!

Because by golly if the sun won't join you outside you just have to bring it inside. And really, how else would you bring the sun inside if not through food?

We also took a break from eating to craft some really cute, patriotic t-shirts. Which we didn't dress the children in until Friday. The 5th of July. Oh well, WE BLAME THE RAIN!

But thankfully it did subside for a while that night so Stephen & Jonathan could do a wonderful fireworks show for us! It's so fun to all sit on the porch in the dark & watch the fireworks. Plus we could see about 3 different fireworks shows happening across the lake!

Friday seemed to be a bit warmer. I think it was 78 degrees instead of 72. Sweltering.

 We did get in a quick boat ride and we finally got all the children awake at the same time & in their patriotic shirts long enough to get a few photos. They're cute. I may be biased but really, could they BE any cuter?!

 Will, Anderson, Lily Beth, Elisabeth, Noah, Caris & Claire

And lest you think all mothering moments are magical & fit-free, I'll leave you with this:

SUNSHINE BUTTER RECIPE: 
{By Cousin Amanda}
  
Ingrdients:
1 package vanilla pudding
1 can pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple {whichever you prefer}
8 oz. Cool Whip {give or take}

Directions:
Drain pineapples
Mix all ingredients

Enjoy with coconut bar cookies {found at Dollar Tree}