Sunny Days.

Summer is finally here!!! And I have been loving this warm sunny weather! We celebrated the 4th of July on Lake Lucerne. I made magic cookie bars (coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips... need I say more?) and jalapeno poppers. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product but the jalapenos were stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar cheese, wrapped with bacon, and coated with BBQ sauce. They were pretty fantastic if I do say so myself.

We took the paddle boat out on the lake for a while. The yard was really shady so it was nice to be out in the middle of the lake enjoying the sunshine.

These little girlies are at the 4th of July party every year. There are 6 sisters all under the age of 10 -- more than a little overwhelming. I think I'll space mine out a little further. They started out all clingy with me and sitting on my lap but quickly switched over to Annika. Can't say that I minded too much.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the lawn playing board games and eating. Milo invited us into the kitchen for a couple rounds of Spider Bites (tequila and red bull) and Tim and Steven found their way inside to watch the second half of the Sounders game. Fireworks were going off all day long but officially started with a string of 16,000 firecrackers around 9:45. We stayed long enough to watch the full moon rise over the lake. It was big and bright and orange and it provided the perfect backdrop for the fireworks. It was a very impressive display.

I had a lovely visit with Paige this evening since she was in town for a friend's weddng. We definitely made the most of the beautiful weather. Happy hour at Duke's on Lake Union, a drive along the waterfront to see the new ferris wheel, a trip to Cal Anderson Park, and ice cream from Molly Moons. It's always so much fun hanging out with Paige and it was such a treat to enjoy the Seattle sun and visit some of my favorite spots with her tonight.

We are celebrating my mom's birthday tomorrow and then camp starts on Monday -- these next few weeks are going to be very busy but loads of fun. Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it!