Happy Fourth of July!

Holden's First 4th of July!

Visit from Aunt Kate!

Fireworks!

We had a fun and busy 4th of July day. We went to the parade, rode ponies, jumped in the bouncy house, went swimming, let off fireworks, and watched fireworks! It was a fun day!

Big Ol' Fish

It never fails! Denny throws his pole into the lake and out pops a huge fish! On this evening I had gone out on the boat and barely caught anything except a branch! He went for about 5 minutes and he was at the door with this bass! He is one lucky fisherman! I guess this is where Madeline gets her fishing abilities!

Exploring Gramma's!

Holden had fun exploring my Mom's house as this was the first time he had been there since he began moving! He thought he was eating popsicles too!

Family Fun

Ellie's Olive Hotdog

It was so great that my cousins, Stephanie and Starla, and their families were back in Missouri while we were visiting as well. They live in South Carolina and Georgia so we don't get together too often. It was so much fun to get our kids together so they could play. Madeline and Will had a great time as the oldest and Caroline and Ellie became fast friends! Henry also took a great liking to Madeline, which made her day! We got to spend two days together and the adults had just as much fun catching up as the kids. Thank you to Aunt Linda for hosting the BBQ!

Cool Chairs

Mom & Richard found these adorable chairs for the kids and gave them to them while they were visiting. Holden obviously loved his! They are just the cutest chairs. The only problem is that they are going to need one more!

Reunited

The girls were so happy to see Holden when we got to my parents on Friday night. They could not stop touching him and loving him. He was just as excited to see them. All week you could tell that he was looking around for something. If we asked him about one of the girls, he would stand at the top of stairs and yell down like he was calling them up. It was so cute! There was definite joy when they were all together again. I think they were more excited to see him than to see us!

Fishing is Fun!

Driving the jeep is another highlight!
On the Boat

The Catch of the Day!

Papa Richard's Assistant

Fishing is the biggest highlight of going to Gramma & Papa Richard's, especially for Madeline. She absolutely loves to fish. As you can see from the pictures, she seems to have decent luck. I think she and Papa Richard make a great fishing team! Caroline caught her first fish while she was staying. Madeline helped fillet the fish for the first time. I cannot even believe she is my daughter when she does things like this! I love how curious she is. She was most impressed by the baby perch that they found inside the bass. She also made sure we all knew that if you caught a perch you had to keep it because they were taking over the lake. She is always taking in facts to share! Caroline liked to touch them but is a little more grossed out by the process than her big sister. I am so happy that they get to have this experience with their grandparents. I learned to fish from my grandparents and I know they are making lasting memories!