4th of July Cottage Vacation

We spent a little over a week at the cottage in Upper Michigan for the 4th of July.  The kids had lots of fun together, and we enjoyed a little relaxation.

 A small town near the cottage, Alpha, hosted a 4th of July parade in honor of the town's 100th anniversary.

 

 There was lots of candy and loud fire trucks.

 After the parade, we went on a pontoon boat ride.  Grandpa's co-pilot jumped right into the driver's seat.

 

 I think he could run this boat if he needed to.

 

 But then back up arrived to help cruise the boat.

 

 Daddy took over driving a short time later. And his two love bugs were close by.

 

 Back at the cottage the kids played some limbo.

 And then we had to get ready for the boat parade which is held on the lake every year on the 4th.  Chesney wanted a butterfly painted on her face, so I made it red, white and blue to be patriotic.  

 When Allie arrived, Chesney painted her face.  Allie is such a good sport.

 

 

 Two patriotic little ladies.

 

 These two are best buddies, and I love every single second of it.

 Our boat had the most cuties.

 Our 4th of July sweetie!

 

 Riding in the boat parade, minus Brecken who was too busy snacking.

 The kids threw candy bags over to the kids swimming near the beach.

 After the parade, the kids swam in the lake in an effort to remove some of the face paint.

 

 The next day, the ladies tried out the new inner tube with Uncle Jeremy which they loved.

 

 

 Then the girls painted each others nails. More proof that Allie is a good sport.

 We spent the afternoon fishing on the lake where the kids all caught lots of fish.

 

 

 

 

 And then they wanted to paint each others faces again. I hope they remain buddies forever.

 Daddy took Allie and Chesney for a paddle boat ride.

 And then grandpa played on the floating dock with the kids.

 Later that night the kids did sparklers.

 Day 3 included a project of boat making.  The kids were pretty excited.

 And they all made pontoon boats.

 Chesney's finished boat.

 

 4 of the 5 kiddos with boats (Brecken slept through the boat making project).

Brecken spent lots of time loving on Bailey (Jon and Tanya's dog) during the trip.

We spent the afternoon swimming and playing in the sand at the beach at the other end of the lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 And then we came back to the cottage for more swimming.

 This is what Brecken thought of the water.

 But he sure loves his daddy.

 Chesney and Allie had a great time riding on the jet ski. 

 Emma loved the water.

 Since he didn't like the water, Brecken decided to explore the area.

 

 

 Meanwhile, the kids swam and enjoyed the slide.

 

 That evening, Chesney stayed up late for smores and fireworks.

 

 

 

 

 A few days into our visit, we went to see Great Grandma Dahl.  We didn't get to visit long, but we got some pictures with her.

 I love this family picture with Great Grandma.

 But this is typical Chesney with her peppy personality.

 The boys and Great Grandma.

 After our visit, we went to a local golf course to let the kiddos swim since it was a cold and rainy day.  Brecken spied Grandma and Grandpa in the sauna.

 

 

 

 These kids became expert jumpers over the course of the week.

On Thursday the guys took the kayaks down the river while the girls went for ice cream. I believe the girls got the better end of that deal.

 When the guys were done, they brought the kayaks down to the lake so the kiddos could take a couple rides.

 

 

 Water sports continued with tubing with daddy.

 Brecken loved the jetski.

 So we took him for a ride.  He liked for about 1 minute but then wanted to return to dock to "ride" it while it was parked.

 

 A couple sunbathing beauties.

 Captain Brecken was back at the wheel.

 

 The kids with Grandpa, Jeremy and Daddy decided to perform a water show where they jumped from the floating dock.  It was quite entertaining.

 

 We spent an afternoon getting ice cream followed by park time.

 

 Ryan and Brecken did a little chasing.

 

 Grandma entertained with craft time on the boat.

Brecken had some good naps after lots of fun with his cousins.

Friday the kids were digging for clams.

 With the help of the outdoor man, Ryan.

Then they ended up swimming in the cold lake in the morning. Followed by a sunflower seed snack in the inner tube.

 Daddy tried to show Brecken how to fish.

 

 

 

 But he was more interested in trying to throw his fishing pole in the lake.

 Our cottage trip was packed with lots of fun.  We can't wait to go back in the winter.