Happy 4th of July!!

I know it has been a long time since I last posted...but I have a good excuse! We have been crazy busy since the summer started. Things are slowing down just a bit for the next few weeks, but then pick up again at the end of the month.

Anyway...we hope you all had a great 4th of July celebration weekend. Shawn, Laura, and I spent the weekend with my parents at the lake. We participated in the small parade that goes around their neighborhood -- thus the decorated stroller and funny hat! (I think Laura thought we were all crazy!!) My mom, Laura and I had a really good time walking the route, while Granddad and Shawn took pictures, video, and waved like crazy when we walked by. We didn't win any prizes, but a good time was still had by all!

Laura also had a chance to see her first fireworks display. One of the more popular ways to view the fireworks at the lake is by boat. We did this several years ago -- and while it was fun and unique -- the drive home in the pitch black with hundreds of other boats was a little too frightening to try with Laura. And we weren't sure how she would react to the fireworks, anyway.

So Shawn, Laura and I decided to try to drive to the bridge where they shoot them off and see if we could get close enough to see anything. We were very surprised to find a grassy hill with a band playing and a place to lay out blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the show. Laura had a great time people-watching and playing while we waited.

Once the fireworks started she was enthralled. She pointed several times at the lights and made her little "ooooo" sound. Unfortunately, she got bored after about 10 minutes and we had to keep her actively engaged by pointing out the colors, shapes, noises, etc. Since it is a smaller town the show wasn't too long and we were home and ready for bed by 10pm. Overall, it was a great day!

To catch up on the all the pictures and stories from our recent travels, I will be blogging several times this week. Check back in a few days to see pics from our quick trip to Long Island and NYC.