Independence

We are at a stage in our lives when the term "independence" refers to Zach. Whether it's his insistence on doing things for himself (like pouring his own oatmeal in the bowl) or our desire for him to perform a task on his own (really, you can't pull your covers over yourself???) - we're always trying to find the right amount of freedom to give our maturing three year old. So it was nice to have a long four-day weekend where we could celebrate a different kind of independence!

Scott took the day off, so we spent Friday on the beach at Lake Elmo. There aren't any pictures because while I was focused on sunscreen, towels, sand toys, lunch, diapers, etc etc - I forgot the camera. However, I remembered it Saturday when we headed out to Hudson, WI, for the 4th of July parade. Despite the heat - check out Zach's red cheeks - we enjoyed watching the various small-town princesses waving from floats, the politicians glad-handing, and, of course, the handfuls of candy thrown our way. Zach would tell you his favorite was the candy, but he did enjoy watching the go-carts zoom around too.

Charlie's spot for the parade - he was the only one who got any shade!

On the 4th we headed west to Lake Cokato, for our annual "celbration" with friends.

We had no idea when we bought Oasis Island (the big round floatee) five years ago that it would one day be used by our kids more than us. My how things have changed!

After fun in the water, we moved on land for some ball sports. Notice how well Scott multi-tasks in the first picture??

And, of course, there's always time to play cars. Especially for these two - Nolan and Zach definitely share a fascination with all things Lightning McQueen!

Sylvia decided to pretend to be shy when we sang an early happy birthday song in her honor. Zach was not shy about his desire for cake!

Kasey striking a pose; Charlie chewing on the bjorn.

We call this picture "my two dads." Aren't they cute?

Looks romantic, doesn't it? Word on the street is that they were talking curling. :)

Carter representing all the kids:

short/no naps + swimming + running + baseball + soccer + cake = falling asleep standing up.

Despite a short nap, a busy day, and the 90 minute drive, Zach stayed wide awake on the way home and got to witness many firework displays! Not a bad way to end a great day.