The 4th

Considering we have all had our fair share of summer colds around here, we still managed to have a fun time celebrating our country's day of independence. Mitch only worked Monday and Tuesday and it's been so nice having him home with us for the rest of the week!

These red, white, and blue hair bows only lasted about 32 seconds.

On the 4th we took it easy ... Layla really wasn't feeling well. But, after she went to bed Mitch and I decided to go see a movie, which was perfect because the rest of the population was watching fireworks so the theater was virtually empty! Just us and one other couple. Sweet. We saw "The Avengers" and we both loved it (we're probably the only ones who haven't seen it by now, ha, ha.)! 

aannnnddd.....

.... there it goes.

On Thursday we took it easy again, for Layla's sake. Mitch painted the closet and hallway in my parents' basement, I did some deep cleaning in our apartment, and Layla watched way too much tv. We were able to visit with Jordan and Tenley, who had a layover on their way to Jamaica to get married (today!). It was so great to see them again; I've really missed my kid brother.


On Friday we decided it was time to get out of the house and headed over to the farm at Thanksgiving Point.  


What a fun place! Layla especially enjoyed riding the pony. (She was scared at first, but she got over her fear pretty quickly [after I forced her to stay on]  and then she really enjoyed herself!)
 
and I was as proud as this peacock we saw on the farm when she said she wanted to ride the horse again!

I had no idea the peacock's body was such a brilliant blue color!

On Saturday morning we went boating with mi padres. We had SO much fun! Definitely the highlight of the holiday weekend.

They had free paddleboard demos so Mitch and I tried those out for about an hour.

We decided to paddle out to a little island. I was standing up and Mitch was still kneeling, so I told him he needed to stop being a pansy and stand up. He said, "No, not until I get the hang of it. I'm going to beat you to the island and I'll be dry!" (we're just a little competitive) to which I immediately responded with, "I'll be dry too!" and within ten seconds I fell in. Guess I was trying too hard to beat him there!

It was hilarious, really. When I finally got over the shock of the cold water, we both got a good laugh out of it. I ended up falling in three times, Mitch ... zero. And he even stood up for most of the time we were paddling. Yeah, he's better than me at the paddle board, apparently. But hey, at least once you've got in the water once, it's not cold the rest of the day.

We really want to buy some paddleboards ... too bad they're twelve hundred dollars! Doesn't that seem like a lot? You can buy a wave runner for that much, and I'd way rather have some wave runners. Anyways, I'm glad we got to try them and they are really fun.

Of course Layla wanted to ride on it too. For some reason she thought we were fishing whenever she got on? I have no idea ... she kept saying, "Mamma! I fishing with Daddy!!!" It was funny.


Then she got tired and almost fell asleep on there. The waves must have been soothing.


My dad tried it too. He didn't think it was as fun as we did.

After that we got on the boat to do a little of this:

and a little of this:

and a little of this (riding on the bow, which scared me just a little, but was really fun):

Layla is not scared of the boat anymore, which is great! In fact, I think the sound of the motor even lulled her to sleep, just a little.

She LOVED sitting on the deck of the boat to dip her feet in the water. She kept doing it over and over and over again.

She also LOVED riding in this little tube (it has a bottom in it)



and digging in the dirt.

I am just pleased as pie to see that Layla is a little boater— she must get that from my side of the family. :) She loves it just as much as I do. Someday we're going to talk Mitch into buying a boat, or at least some waverunners. He said he would like some waverunners. Maybe once our kids are older ....

But I digress. We had a blast over the long weekend. Thanks so much to my parents for taking us boating!

I love how Layla and my dad are walking exactly the same way in this pic.

 Thanks to my Hubby for taking time off work to hang out!

Most of all, thanks to our Founding Fathers and all of the soldiers who pay/paid the price for our freedom. Where would we be without them? I am proud, and humbled, to be an American.

Today in church we sang "The Star Spangled Banner." The final verse is so beautiful to me; I wish God/religion were still a big part of what this country stands for:
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
(Wikipedia)
Happy 4th of July!