July 4th (AKA The Epic Water Fight of 2015)

    Being away from family on the 4th of July is always tough for me.  I know they are playing in water, eating great food, and blowing up lots of things.  So, we try to recreate some of those adventures here in Wisconsin during those years we can't travel back West.  This year, the pile of squirt guns led to an epic water battle.

  It started out simple enough, loading the guns with water from the turtle swimming pool with the younger kids.

 Enter... the Big Boys.

Threats were made, guns were pointed, and things escalated quickly.

Mattias tried to use the turtle cover as a shiled, as others blocked him from gaining access to the water.

 The shield works well... but he is unable to fill his own gun with the double sided onslaught from Sean and Asher.

  He decides to take matters into his own hands.  Braving the streams of water, and using his amazing muscles, Mattias lifts the pool, and dumps the entire resevoir - instantly shutting down any attackers!

  This leaves him free to go and turn on the neighbors hose, for a distance attack, which Asher counters by turning on our hose.  At this point, mom intervenes, and bans the use of hoses.

  The water fight became more creative, as various mixing bowls were brought into play, and buckets found in the shed for furture water storage options.  Sylvia and Ephraim used this time to try out a Slip and Slide we got.

Sylvia decided it was time for her to make a statement and get into the water battle.

     She might look innocent, but she was very sneaky and accurate with her aim.  She made enemies fast.. as you can see Asher aiming a picture of water at her below.

   It ended with her antagonizing  Sean, and all the boys ganging up on her.  She didn't stand a chance.  She will have to wait until Ephraim is older and convince him to be her ally.

   Ephraim got cold and was turning blue.. so we called it quits with the water and put on some dry clothes. Asher introduced him to the world of "snaps" while Mattias started a fire.

    Mattias is the best fire starter in our family. He has amazing patience to blow on coals until they leap into a blaze.  Ephraim, of course, wanted to help as much as possible.

  The s'more lineup was impressive.  It was like a facotry production line.

Asher,  showing us how a perfect marshemellow should be roasted.

He creates his signature item, the "Double S'more".

Watching him eat it all at once ( to see if he could get it all in his mouth at the same time) was not a sight for the faint of heart.

  While waiting for s'more sticks, Sylvia showed Ephraim how to dance through the smelly clouds of smoke bombs.

    It was a lovely afternoon, complete with some very tasty hamburgers and potato salad.  Although our thoughts turned often to family back in Idaho, it was good to be with the kids.  I doubt there will be another epic water battle like this for many a year to come.  It felt wonderful to laugh together, in our soggy wet clothes.  I love these guys.