4th of July Weekend 2017!!!

4th of July weekend was pretty fantastic!! 

The sun was out, we were lucky enough to have cousin Porter visit (which we ALWAYS love), and we spent time having fun as a family and with friends. Nothing better!

First off, was some beach time at Dash Point State Park (https://parks.state.wa.us/496/Dash-Point). Not the prettiest or nicest or best smelling beach in the world, and there if the fact that it doesn't have waves unless a giant cargo ship passes by (it is the Puget Sound after all). But it's ours, so we like it!

Hanging out in the freezing water. 

Getting in some Skim Board time!

(something for which Dash Point really is well known)

 Playing a little catch with The Dad.

And showing off our muscles for a photo opp.  

Kevin wanted to get in on that one as well!!;)

Next stop of the long weekend ...

A low-key afternoon at the park, where we had fun yet again playing Spike Ball.

(Mom of course is the BEST player in the family;);)

Hanging out with my little dude. 

The biggest outing of the weekend came in two parts ...

First a hike up Rattlesnake Ridge for Kevin and this clan of amazing teens! 

Great job, girls!!

As a side note, Rattlesnake is a nice 4-mile roundtrip hike that I think we've done about 3 or so times now (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/rattle-snake-ledge).

Pros: good distance for everyone (not to long for the younger kids or those not in great shape, but not too short for those who want a little more), beautiful view of the lake from the top, and when you get back to the bottom you can cool off in the water--or even hang out all day and have a picnic if you like.

Cons: It is a super busy trail!! So definitely go early in the morning or on an off day. The other main con is safety. While there's nothing unsafe about the trail itself, there have sadly been fatalities on the ledge at the top. You really just have to remember to stay away from the edge once you're up there!

Straight from Rattlesnake, we met up at Ensign Ranch to hang out for the day ... 

 Staying cool on our favorite slip-n-slide.

And doing a bit of fishing ... 

(Check out that giant mosquito bites;/) ...

And finally, on Independence Day itself ...

We relaxed as a family with a backyard "bbq"--really we just roasted corn and hot dogs over a fire:-). 

And Mae made us this refreshing flag cake. Delicious and so clever!!

And that's a wrap. The fun has to end sometime;)!!