We did make it to see fireworks at Lititz Park on the 4th! It started to rain just as we were leaving the house but we decided to still go and attempt it! We made a pit stop at Matt and Marlene's to say hi and to see if the rain was going to stop. Carson went as a friend for Matthew and we really wanted to see these! We also made another pit stop to Fox's Creamery for some ice cream and it was there that I asked if anyone knows if the fireworks are still on in town? One employee there said that he just heard they are! By now, it was 9:30 PM, so we booked it out to the Yukon and went looking for a spot to park and watch!
This time we stayed out of the park so we didn't have to pay $50! Matthew and Carson found a better spot just down from us but the grass was wet and so we settled for a parking lot to plop our chairs on to and there we sat watching the night sky light up! The songs were not near as good as last year and there was a time or two that I wished they would not have songs! And this is what I loved about the whole thing last year!!! I loved how the songs went with the fireworks! Not so this year. :/
It was really late till we got back home and our beds felt wonderful after getting into dry clothes and in our cool house.
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It's watermelon season and we are loving it!!! If you like watermelon and Pinterest … then please look at some of the different ways of eating it! When we kids and before Pinterest days, we would stand out on the back porch eating watermelon after sprinkling it with salt!!! It tastes so good!!! The other day, I cut up watermelon and cantaloupe and then squeezed a fresh lime of it and sprinkled it with herb salt!!! Oh boy, let's just say it got devoured!!!
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We bought a four wheeler! Matthew was so excited about this!!! We have a family vacation planned to go to the cabin and so this was on the list of things to do!!! Let the good times roll!!!
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We also bought us some chickens!!! We've been dreaming of this for quit some time and now it finally happened!!! I had to make a few phone calls to find some because chicks or fresh young hens are usually available in the Spring. But we drove off to East Earl and picked up our five hens and brought them home in a box and then left them free in the chicken house that Mike prepared for us!!! We also made a stop at our local hardware store to buy us a chicken feeder, waterer and fed!
This was so exciting for these kids!!!
And now we wait for some fresh eggs!!! It was like Christmas morning around here the next day when the kids woke up. The boys were up first and went and woke Ashlyn! They were all super excited to see if there were any eggs laid!!! They all ran out to the hen house and looked.
No eggs were found.
They checked later in the day and still no eggs.
It's been now about two weeks and still no eggs!!! I'm about ready to call the chicken man and ask when we should be expecting some eggs???!!! One thing is for sure, when that day does come, the kids will be so proud and happy and we will be having us some breakfast!!!
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We also just got back from our family vacation!!! It was the best ever!!! This year Mike thought that we should go to my parents newer cabin for a few days and skip the beaches and crowds! I was into that but we had to talk Hadassah into it!
We were thinking about leaving Wednesday evening after the King reunion at Mom Lapp's but it got too late. Instead, we waited until Thursday morning to load up the Yukon and head to the cabin!!! Everyone was SO SUPER excited!!! Chandler got to ride along with us up because Weston was in a little league tournament not far from the cabin and we were going to met Gerald's up there with Chandler.
It was first a stop at the garage just down the street to fill up with oil for the Yukon. Then another quick stop for breakfast sandwiches at Stoltzfus Meats and pick up Chandler. We were finally on our merry way and got to the cabin around 12:30!
The boys jumped on the four wheelers as soon as Mike got them unloaded. We had our one four wheeler plus we borrowed Ritchies. Dad has a golf cart up there that Ashlyn claimed and drove around all weekend! :)
I made homemade cookies! It was so fun and relaxing to cook in Mom's cabin kitchen!!!
Thursday evening, we drove to Weston's baseball game and watched. We left Chandler there with his family and then we drove back to the cabin for some hot burgers of the grill at 9:00 PM!!!
We were tired and ready for beds.
Friday was a gorgeous day at the cabin!!! I couldn't wait to show the kids where we used to take our baths when I was a kid! In the river!!!
We enjoyed the afternoon just splashing around!
My whole world revolves around these dear people!!!
And of course, Mike got on Dad's tractor and did some field mowing!
We sat around and worked on some puzzle and the kids got into making some string bracelets. The bear came out to the cabin for just a few minutes on Thursday night and we hopping to see it again tonight but just some pesty raccoons came out!
Matt and Lena and their boys, and Ritchie, came up late Friday night to join us! The two days of just our family was so much fun and we want to do this again for even longer next year!!! It was fun to welcome the new comers too!
Saturday was Matthew's birthday! He's now a teenager! We gave him an air soft gun a few weeks ago and so it was just a simple snack bag and a chocolate cake for his birthday celebration!
We showed the boys the river and got to spend more time there!
So much time is spent together with these four!!!
What a blast!!!
This stud … he's all mine!!!
And these two in the boat are two crazy ones when they are together. There were life jackets in the canoe but were all dirty. They washed them off in the water but one jacket floated away. These two jumped in the canoe and went after it!
And there goes Ritchie, Hadassah and Matthew. "Keep them life jackets on!!!," yelled Momma!!!
I got to spend some time with little Bryce on the river bank!!!
We all spent the rest of the day at the cabin and taking golf cart rides and wheeler rides. The back porch was our hot spot and we were super excited to see the bear come out on Saturday night!!!
Sunday was another warm day at the cabin. We ate a good breakfast and then went out the long dusty cabin lane and down the road to take the trails that lead to a cross!!! So neat!!!
Hunter shot his first rabbit!
The bear … how exciting to sit just yards away and watch the bear clean out some old ice cream buckets!!!
Lots of golf cart rides!!!
And a mini photo session!!!
So pretty!!!
Our summer is going by so fast!!! We already got some school papers through the mail but I'm refusing to look at them too long!!! I want summer to last for a long, long time yet!!!
