With the exception of a fleeting thought here and there that summer is half over, there is nothing but happy to be had on the 4th of July holiday. It’s generally the longest weekend we spend at the cabin over the summer, the boat parade is always a hit with the kids, and all concerns over kids’ bedtimes, sugar intake (for kids as well as adults), etc. seem to fly out the window for a few days. The wildfires in Canada may have turned the blue skies this year to a hazy gray, but the day was filled with a ton of fun. I’ve included a few pictures from last Saturday, as well as some favorites from the past several 4th of July celebrations.
Watching the boat parade.
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I made the mistake of building up my home town’s Water Carnival a bit too much when talking to the kids about it, such that when the weekend arrived they were a little disappointed to learn that it had nothing to do with (a) water or (b) a carnival. Who can blame them?!  But on Sunday they were completely game for heading into town in the heat to watch the parade. I realized quickly that I had forgotten sunglasses or hats for them, and after a brief attempt at trying to convince them that “your eyes will eventually adjust” I realized how ridiculous that sounded and we ran to my parents’ house and raided my mom’s extra sunglasses and grabbed a hat from my dad’s golf bag. Thankfully, the kids loved their sun gear for the day. We had a great day pouncing on the candy thrown from the parade participants, and with the additions of the “ride” on the trampoline, mini donuts and face painting, we captured what would have been our favorite parts of any true carnival.
There is a fine line between hugs and headlocks with these two.
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We hightail it out to the cabin on most weekends of the summer, but as the kids get older I also am tempted by all that the Twin Cities and surrounding areas have to offer. So, we’ve done our best to pepper in a few visits elsewhere, like our trip to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Our past trips to a local zoo have been to the much larger Minnesota Zoo, which is impressive in many ways but much different than the Como Park property. I loved our little morning there, and all that it had to offer. The surrounding grounds were gorgeous and so well-maintained, the zoo itself small and manageable, and the gardens in the Conservatory vibrant and colorful. The carousel (originally built in 1914) was the kids’ favorite part of the outing, and the perfect way to top off the day.

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