Fourth of July Recap

Independence Day came and went in a blur this year. We were still partially in the "devastation" phase and I had a major muscle spasm in my back that literally kept me from walking on Saturday and then progressed to a slow, and painful, walk on Sunday, which also happened to be Independence Day. Weeks before, when life was the old normal, our good friends the Rushes invited us to their lake house on Grand River to celebrate Independence Day. Casey and I didn't know at the time just how important this small getaway would be for us.

We traveled the hour and twenty minutes east to Langley, OK, and arrived at the house early in the afternoon. Gabe slept for a total of forty minutes for nap time. It left him fairly cranky, fussy, and clingy the rest of the day. We attempted a nap at the lake house but he wasn't having it. So, we suited him up and took him down to the river for a little swim. Well, short swim I should say. Casey walked out onto the river bottom, or rather abruptly walked off a boat ramp into sharp rocks, and promptly fell and slashed his knee open. It was painful, but he was the hero of the day because he did it all and managed to keep Gabe's head above water. I was completely oblivious to what was going on and happily snapped away with my camera. You can tell by his face in the pictures that he was not happy. Our swim in the river lasted less than two minutes before we hiked it back up to the house and just let the kids play in the small, inflatable pool.

After dinner Butch (Nikki's dad) took us for a ride down the river on his pontoon and it was so very relaxing, well for everyone but me. I kept freaking out about Gabe being too close to the edge of the boat. Boating has never really been a fond time for me. There's always this fear in the back of my mind that the boat's going to tip over and everyone will drown....and yes, I do know how to swim. I didn't say it was a rational fear. It really was a beautiful ride and if it hadn't been for my darn drowning phobia I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. Casey loved it. He can't wait to buy a boat. Fortunately for us, I can. :-)

Here's a look back at the day in photos:

The view from the amazing back porch.

Gabe did not want to put his feet in.

But, he was eventually persuaded.

Why so scared-looking Gabe?

Ohhh...there's the grimace. Ouch, Casey.

Ahhh....much safer ground.

Gabe on the left, Bradley on the right.

And, even safer  ground.

Is Bradley a GQ model in the making?

Yep, I think definitely.

Family Photo Independence Day 2010

Aunt Nikki with Bradley.

Mm-Mm...ice on a hot summer day is gooood.

Aunt Nikki with Bradley, Gabe, and Hillary.

Seriously, guys. MY MOM ROCKS.

It's too bad we can't dress our children forever. I could get used to shirts like that one.

Thank you to the Rush family for having us out to celebrate. It's so nice having great family friends to celebrate with each year.