4th of July

We had the quintessential 4th of July: beach, parade, family cookout, fireworks.  So great!

We spent the morning at Christmas Cove, which is a beautiful beach on Lake Michigan.  The big lake was incredibly pleasant to swim in--one of the positive side effects of the very hot summer we've been having.

In the afternoon, Natalie stayed at the cottage with Dan and Nancy while Todd, Nathan and I headed over to Leland for the 4th of July parade.  We were able to combine this activity with a visit to our dear friends Ryan and Anne's new home in Leland.  It is lovely!

Nay sat on Daddy's shoulders for the whole parade.  The loud sirens made him pretty nervous at first, but he quickly got into the spirit of things, even though he did keep his hands over his ears most of the time.

Patriotic family. :)

Amphicars!  For those who don't know, these are crazy cars that can drive into water and run like a boat. Notice the propellers on the back?

After the parade we headed back to the cottage for a cookout.  Florence and Basil came over, and neighbors Paul and Dan joined us as well.

CHEESE!

My sweet kiddos cooperated for a brief 4th of July photo shoot.

Todd was manning the grill.

Nathan had to check out the stroller that's way too small for him now.  I swear he grew six inches during this trip!

Natalie was not amused.

Dinner time!

This is the face of a baby who has tasted cake for the first time!

This is the face of a great grandma who has given a baby cake for the first time! :)

Approved!

Nathan was really, REALLY anxious and nervous about the fireworks.  He had experienced fireworks at the Kalamazoo Speedway that were really close and really loud and that really scared him.  Todd was really great with working with Nathan through his fear, and did an amazing job helping him push the edge of his comfort zone.  Since we live on the far Western edge of the Eastern Time Zone, the fireworks show didn't start until 10:30.  With the late hour and Nathan's nerves, once the fireworks started and Nathan realized that they weren't scary (they were two miles away, so not very loud), he was so relieved that he promptly fell sound asleep and missed 95% of the show!