This year with the holiday being on a Wednesday, we weren't quite sure when to expect the traffic. We decided to head up on Tuesday late morning after Sean's tutoring in the library. Scott and Evan packed up the van while Sean and I were at the library. There was no traffic the whole drive! Smooth and with a stop at Wendy's for lunch, we made it in the normal time.
The kids immediately went for the beach.
All the toys and games were out and ready for us to play. Matt and Mindy arrived two hours later and by then we were in full up north mode. Boats, beers, and country music.
After tacos salads for dinner, Pops took us back out on the pontoon boat to do some fishing. Sean caught two fish and I caught one! Evan wasn't big on doing the actual fishing, but he was first in line to hold each fish as it was caught. Weirdo! We got two bass and one pike!
It was a really nice first day and of course the adults ended the evening with euchre and adult beverages. Maybe even some mini beers...
July fourth we all woke up excited for the cousins to arrive later in the morning! The girls arrived just before lunch and after eating a picnic lunch down by the water, the kids spent the rest of the day on the water! Their favorite activity this year was playing on the paddleboard and jumping in off the front of the pontoon boat. Considering it was in the 90's each day, it was a necessity to keep cool! Even I jumped in!
We forced the kids to take a break after a mini meltdown from Sean. They came in to watch a movie and I got things prepped for my cooking night. I made hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, corn on the cob, pasta salad, a garden salad, and chips for dinner. BBQ fare on the fourth of July is a must! Strawberry pie and homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches were dessert! Yum!
The kids did some sparklers and watched a few of the fireworks going off early around the lake before bed. The lake was going to do their big show on Saturday so the kids didn't need to stay up late. Again, the adults played euchre at night.
Thursday was Adelaide's 7th birthday! It was a full day of water activities and outdoor games! She opened her gifts right after lunch on the deck and the boys enjoyed their goody bags from Adelaide full of water toys and a journal.
Jackie did dinner that night with build your own salads. We sang "Happy birthday" to Adelaide with rainbow cupcakes per her request. In the evening I went out on a boat ride with Pops, Sydney, and Josh to try and catch more fish. Sydney caught two and I caught one again! It was a successful night!
Friday, the adults went golfing in the morning so Nana and I stayed behind with the kids and had them do a craft. They made Americana lighthouses out of flower pots and a solar light. Cute! Then we drove them to one of the parks on the lake to play. It had really cooled off and it felt so good outside in the morning. In fact, we had the park to ourselves for a while!
When the golfers returned home, we did a quick lunch and spent the rest of the day having a water gun fight, playing beer pong, and playing water limbo! Nana and Pops played their first game of beer pong and it was an intense game with an extra round! Nana and Matt ended up winning - boo!
Mindy and Matt prepared Serbian food for dinner that night. We had Chevaps, potato salad, and some fruits and vegetables with that yummy cheese bread! We went out for ice cream at Two Scoops for dessert Friday night and they had Cookie Jar - my favorite!
Our last full day was Saturday! Everyone went golfing Saturday morning except for me and Evan. Him and I went to the Outlet Mall and to Big Boy for lunch. Sean got to use his new clubs and did okay according to Scott. They played 9 holes. He has a golf clinic next Monday so we wanted to get some practice in for him.
Once back, the kids played in the sand and water building moats, playing on the paddleboard, and enjoying the nice weather. We had a water balloon toss game with Mindy and Scott being the champions.
We did another BBQ with italian sausages, steaks, and chicken with an assortment of cold salads and fruit. It was tasty! Dessert was s'mores by the fire since the lake fireworks were that night. The kids got decked out in the fourth of July gear and we did sparklers and poppers to keep them awake for the firework show. Everyone congregated in chairs on the beach to watch the show and this was the first year all four kids stayed awake to see the whole thing! It was a nice way to end our stay!
We left early Sunday morning to avoid traffic and made it back in the normal amount of time, which is rare! We had a great trip up north with Scott's whole family and I'm happy to report that all four kids got along the entire time and all four dogs got along too! That is one for the books. We'll be back up in a week and a half to spend a week at the lake again. We're so grateful that Scott's family welcomes us up there any time.
