Of course we headed straight for the pool afterwards! And then enjoyed carnival games and Grandpa's yummy grilled chicken, onions, and corn on the cob! Grandma made strawberry cake and we discussed a few patriotic conversation starters over dinner.
The night ended on such a funny note! We headed over to the lake for the fireworks show.... Grandma had kindly arrived a day early to set up a blanket on the grass in order to save a spot. It was crowded to say the least! So we were very grateful! But once the fireworks started, we realized a huge tree was covering our view entirely! Haha... we ended up crowding behind a young couple who were unknowingly swaying to the music with five people crouching behind them. So funny!
Even funnier, right before the show started, a boat tore around the outer edges of the lake shooting free t-shirts out at kids sitting on the banks. Grant, Ev and Dane thought it would be fun to stand near by and try to catch a shirt. They didn't catch a shirt.... but as the boat moved on, Grant thought he'd continue to try .....he raced through the crowds along the bank of the river! So, being the ever- vigilant mother that I am, I tore off after him, shoeless, franticly trying to catch Grant before he disappeared into the crowd of people. I mean, the boy was booking it through the crowds. The sad/funny part of this story is that the people sitting on their blankets along the bank most likely assumed that I was chasing the boat guys too in hopes of catching a shirt! Shoeless, running at the speed of light (where do you think Grant and Dane get their speed from anyway?) an adult lady in a fun patriotic skirt....trampling over kind folks' blankets in an effort not to lose a speedy four year old. Man, it was funny! I chased him half way around the lake before he finally stopped and looked around... noticing he was far far away from his any familiar environment. That kid!
When I returned, Aunt Stac joked, "Steph... if you wanted a t-shirt that bad, I could've given you one of mine". They had been watching the whole thing from across the lake, no doubt laughing hysterically!
We enjoyed walking along the Dana Point Harbor with Dad the next morning.... he loves visiting his old stomping grounds! Yummy pizza, cracking open geods, strolling along the beach- fun times!
