Last 4th of July at Sand Cliffs

We decided that this was the year that Hudson would go to overnight camp and signed him up for Camp Winnataska on July 6th. So, that meant that our annual 4th of July beach trip would not happen because there was just no way we could come back on the 5th and then have Hudson ready to leave on the 6th. That was until my sister called and begged that we come and that she would help me get Hudson ready for camp. That's all it took. But then she didn't help me get him ready for camp. :) Hmm....well I am SOOO glad we went to the beach! It was such fun. Although Joel could not go...again...which was a bummer. He was starting a new job on the 5th and was just going to be too quick of a trip for him to join us.

 

We got there on Friday, had a little swim time, ate dinner at the condo, and then headed to The Hub for dessert for the kiddos and drinks for the adults! We always have so much fun at The Hub.

 

 Rooney was maybe having a little too much fun! :) Flashing the band already!

 All 3 of the kids were sweaty messes, but they had a blast. It was a great first night!

Saturday was filled with beach and pool time, and failed nap/quiet time for me. The boys would not rest the entire weekend. I'm not complaining, but when you are by yourself, its it not too much to ask for a little alone time?!?! Ha! Love these boys so much, even without my quiet time.

 Favorite pic of all time of sweet Roondawg...

 Followed by one of my favorite pics of my handsome little boys!

We had dinner at The Great Southern in Seaside Saturday night. We thought it would be less crowded since Saturdays are usually transition days, but we still waited over an hour. It was hot, hot, hot. Don't let Rooney fool you in the picture below. She was a hot mess at dinner! Takes me back to the good ole days when we never went out to dinner because the boys were so bad! Ha!

The boys had been begging to go crab hunting. I'm the person that never hit the beach after dark for fear of crabs biting me, but for these boys, I'll do anything. I am happy to say I did not get bitten! We did catch a sea slug (at least that's what Hudson said it was and I believed him!).

When it came down to the actual catching of the crabs, let's face it, we needed Daddy! Mama was NO help!

 Beautiful Sunday at the beach!

 And dinner that night at The Red Bar.

 They had a new band that night. They were pretty cute! :)

 Then it was back to Seaside to see the symphony! This was our second time this summer to see the symphony do their patriotic performance and I would go again and again. It was great. It was hard not to get choked up as they played all of the military songs and asked those who served in each to stand up when their song played.

 And we had Hudson to go retrieve Rooney when she wanted to be on stage!

 Photo bomber!

I got to sleep next to this sweet thing. Couldn't resist a picture when I woke up before him one morning!

 This was our last 4th of July at Sand Cliffs. Mom and Dad sold the condo and they close on it mid August, so this was part of the reason why we just had to make it work and join Carrie and Andres for this trip!

We spent many 4ths at Sand Cliffs growing up and it will always be some of my most favorite childhood memories. We started with the kids parade. Rooney held Hudson's hand the whole time. They did great!

Then the games began! This was really the first year that both boys really wanted to participate in multiple relays. It was so fun to watch!

 I'll never forget my mother breaking a rib after landing on the sidewalk during one of these races! They can be intense when the adults get involved!

Harrison did the sack race too!

 Harrison did pretty well in the sprint!

 Such a beautiful view that I am going to miss SO much!!!

 Beautiful sister!

 Baby birds!

 Since Joel wasn't there, Andres offered to be the stand in dad for the shaving cream game. He was such a good sport!

 Lots of candy from the piñata!

 Then it was time for everyone to clean up and get ready for the cook out and fireworks that night.

The fireworks show was very eventful! They caught the bluff on fire and then shot a firework into the crowd. It was a little scary! Thankfully, everyone and everything was fine!

It was a great last 4th of July at Sand Cliffs! So glad that Carrie talked us into coming with them!