4th of July

We had a really fun and busy 4th of July weekend. This year solidified some new traditions for our family and we look forward to them each year.

Our newest tradition is going to the top of Four Lakes ski hill to watch the hot air balloons take off from the Eyes to the Skies festival. We packed a picnic dinner, set up our blankets and enjoyed seeing them take off one-by-one. After we ate, the kids and us ran up and down the hill and burned off some of our energy.

Saturday was the 2nd annual neighborhood 4th of July parade. This is where families decorate their bikes and scooters and meet at the clubhouse for a ride through the neighborhood. The weather was perfect, so we met some friends after and went to the pool. Later that evening, we hung out with neighbors and had some great laughs with them. The kids were in awe over the smoke bombs, and Carter had fun throwing poppers on the ground. Emery didn’t make it to the fireworks, so she stayed home with mom. Carter and I went to the Bolingbrook Fireworks show, we set up camp, ate our popcorn and waited for the fireworks to begin. As we sat and waited, the excitement of the day finally settled in and Carter became extremely tired – he wanted to go home. So, we went home and went to bed.

Finally, on Sunday we went on our first family bike ride where Carter and I rode our bikes, and Emery sat in the bike carrier behind Julie’s bike. It didn’t start out well with Emery, but she eventually got used to her new seat. Carter suggested we head to a nearby subdivision with hopes to see his friend from school at their park. We had a lot of fun at the park, and Carter and I were pretending like we were contestants on American Ninja Warrior. Needless to say, it was a long ride home, but fun was had by all. Carter enjoyed a sweet, cool, ice cream treat when we got home!