Happy 4th of July!

We had a very low-key 4th of July.  Jessica invited a friend over, Beth and Brooklyn came over to visit and my mom stopped by for dinner as well.  We grilled up some burgers and dogs and Hailey had a blast playing with her new best friend and cousin, Brooklyn.  Brooklyn is in town for a couple of weeks so we hope to see plenty of her over the next few days.  J and E leave for NY next Sunday so they have been enjoying their last few days here before 10 days away from home.  Rich and I will have an empty house for the first time in over a year! I'm sure it will be strange, but definitely a much needed break from the crazy schedules that come with teenagers.

We hope everyone had a safe and wonderful 4th of July!

Poolside

Hailey taking Miss Cameron around the pool.

 Once again we had another great weekend poolside at the Critzer's house.  Hailey, J and E had a blast swimming and were worn out when we got home.  I think I was able to get in about 20 laps for my cardio workout for the day since we didn't make it to the gym!

Everyone was in on the action.

Rich catching some air while I took cover!

Shaun taking a dive.

E going alligator riding.

Yep, he can fit through there...not sure how though!

Sugar-free shaved ice for the kids when they took a break.

Where is Jack?

Thank goodness we broke Jack of his crazy ways when he was a puppy because more often than not he is Hailey's "baby", "puppy", or some other wild character that she torments.  She and Jack and Tank were "camping" in our room last week.  The boys were put in a sleeping bag and were being fed with baby spoons. 

The next few pictures of what happens when Hailey decides to "clean up" all of the dog toys.  Where is Jack?!  Luckily, we could find him this time. 

Such a good sport.

Kisses

"Uh, can someone help me please?"

Love these two.

Pretty boy.

On a Boat!

And, we didn't sink....thank goodness.  We figured out pretty quickly that the boat still needs some work, so we only stayed about about an hour and a half on Lake Anna.  Rich is already re-wiring the entire boat this evening.  Even though it was a short trip, it was lots of fun.  Hailey was not scared of going fast and was entertained the entire time.  I love being on the water and being able to relax.  We all wanted to fish, especially Hailey with her new Dora pole, so we fished at our pond when we got home.  Rich hopes to have the boat back on the water next weekend!

Can we fish yet?!

In the driver's seat...

So cool in our new shades.

I think someone is quite excited to be on the water!

Chillin'

Super cool

Trying out the new fishing pole

Hailey's first bass...caught with my pole!  And, yes she is still insisting on wearing those boots!

Camo girls

Proud of her new fishing hat.

Yep, I had to get one as well.

Miss Prissy Pants

We are ready!

Look at that hair! 

Getting ready for the water

We spent all day Saturday working on the boat and trying to get it ready for the water.  It's a good thing that Rich knows how to work on and fix just about anything, otherwise I think we would be out a substantial amount of money!  I don't understand a thing that he does, but he always gets whatever it is running or fixed one way or another.  This is one time when he is focused, and at times overly focused on what he is doing.  He could spend 10 hours outside working and not even realize what time it is or that he hasn't eaten a meal.  I think it is good for Evan to get exposed to these things so  hopefully he'll be able to fix things in the future as well.  Hailey is taking after Rich and would much rather stay outside and work with him rather than stay inside with me.

Such a little girl now!

Gettin' her ready.

Rich doing what the does best.

Do you think Hay Hay is ready for the water? :)

Mr. Bunny is ready to go!

Biggest Loser

Well, not really, but I am still feeling pretty good.  I had my measurements done this morning at the gym and in the last 8 weeks I've lost 2.5 inches in my hips, 1.5 inches in my waist, and 1inch in my chest.  My legs and arms stayed the same.  I've also lost 6.5 lbs during the time.  We decided against measuring my BMI for another 6 weeks, so that I can really see a big change.  I know I've gained a lot of muscle, but I still have some more fat to go before I really feel good about things, but I know I've made a lot of progress.

Showing off the back muscles

Front double bicep