July 4th Weekend

The fourth of July fell on a Saturday this year, so we were off work on Friday the 3rd. Despite terrible thunderstorms early that morning, we headed to Horseshoe Lake over in Arkansas to the Hudsons’ lake house with the Ducks and Simpsons. We figured we’d at least eat well and hang out while it rained, but the weather gave us enough of a break mid afternoon that we were able to get out on (and into) the water. HG and Chloe were close in age and constant companions. With Chloe’s encouragement, HG hopped right into the boat and ran to sit up front. She was white-knuckled for the boat ride but giggled all the way, her hair blowing madly in the wind. After the ride, she climbed down the ladder and into the lake for the first time. She was a little nervous in the open water but had John right beside her. When she made it around the corner and onto the big floating mat, she was in hog heaven. The kids had a big time! Needless to say, she slept well that night!

On Saturday the 4th, we headed to the Browns’ for a big family cookout. The weather was still a little rainy, but again, there was enough for a break in the weather for HG, John, Addie, and CB to hop in the pool for a few minutes. We stayed through dinner, stopped by the firework place to grab some sparklers and roman candles, and then headed home for a bath. HG got in her pjs while we waited for it to get dark, and she was so excited when it was finally time. Our neighborhood went wild with fireworks, and once we found John’s noise-cancelling headphones, HG enjoyed it too! She’s a sucker for sparklers and liked watching John do the roman candles too.

On Sunday, HG and John went to the pool in the morning, and she really showed off all that she learned from her swim class this summer! Afterward, HG and I went down to Tunica to see a circus show at Goldstrike with Melissa and Lawson. The kids were so fascinated with all the games with blinking lights and noises. They both asked, “Can we play a game before we go?”

FRIDAY

Baby Holt LOVED HG. She walked over to him with a book to try to entertain him. He was more interested in her than the book.The rain finally stopped!

SATURDAY

 

SUNDAY

Checking out the casino with Lawson