A Beautiful 4th of July Weekend

Jonah & Liv looking at the lake
Originally uploaded by Wolcotts

We enjoyed the most beautiful 4th of July weekend at Mark's parents cabin on North Blue Lake. The weather was absolutely perfect - sunny, high-70's and not at all humid.

The kids had a wonderful time and were very busy the whole weekend. They built sandcastles, made an active volcano, went swimming, watched an awesome fireworks show right off the dock, went kayaking, watched a boat parade, went fishing with Grandpa Jim, did crafts with Grandma Lorraine and stayed up late every night! (Always Olivia's favorite...)

It was a great weekend with a bittersweet undertone. Mark got laid off on Thursday (July 3rd), so he was generally bummed out. But Monday came along and he worked like mad on his resume and started looking for a new job. There are some opportunities out there so I'm sure something will turn up soon. Just hopefully before I get laid off too...

Watch Out!

Kids with their new water squirters, originally uploaded by Wolcotts.

The kids spent a lot of time during vacation playing with Grandma's water squirters, so I picked up a couple for them to have at home. I took this picture just before we headed down to the lake. Jonah is doing his classic "CHEESE" that makes it look like he is in pain, but he's really very excited!

Another wonderful vacation to Canada

Liv & Jonah on the rock, originally uploaded by Wolcotts.

We just got home from our annual camping vacation to Wisconsin and Canada. My family has been camping at the same campground near Nestor Falls, Ontario since I was 3 or 4 years old.

We had beautiful weather this year - mid-70's to low-80's and sunny the whole trip with just one night with a little rain. However, we have dubbed it The Year of the Bug because they were horrendous! Both kids had/have around 60-70 bites on the backs of their heads, necks and behind their ears. The biggest offender was the evil black fly who seemed to be out all day long. Then the mosquitoes came in swarms at dusk followed shortly by the no-see-ums. Bug spray didn't seem to deter them at all.

Olivia had a great time fishing with Grandpa Chuck and Daddy again. She went out in the boat every night and one night she caught an 18" and a 21.5" walleye and reeled them in all by herself. She said "my arm hurts" while she was reeling in the big one, but Mark let her finish reeling in herself. She also enjoyed watching them fillet the fish again this year.

Jonah had a blast playing with his 3-yr old cousin, Asher. Jonah followed him around like a little puppy saying "Ash" in a cute little voice. We also got to meet my new niece, Hailey, for the first time. She is a little sweetheart and both the kids just loved her.

Both kids really enjoyed all the time they got to spend with Grandma and Grandpa. Olivia even had the honor of sleeping in their fifth-wheel with them for the trip. She did a little talking in her sleep for them - notable quote, "Come on! Reel it in!" :) She is a girl after Grandpa's heart!

Probably a lot more to tell, but it's getting pretty late. There are plenty of pictures over on our Flickr account, so check it out when you get a chance...