Fourth of July

We have a big boat. My in-laws have a bigger boat. My husband came home raving about the firework show that one of the San Joaquin Rover Delta island's puts on.  And it's great to take the boat and see the fireworks on the water.  There's thousands of boats, and it's sooooo much fun, and I want to take our boys, and my parents are going... and we stay over night in the boat!

Now, I try ever-so-hard not to be a kill joy, but sometimes my practical side cannot be overridden.  I spend all day at home with our boys, which can be taxing enough on one's sanity; thus, 24 hours on a boat with them, even a big one, didn't sound like fun.  Yes, we could sleep on the boat.  But the "bed" is hard, and we both have bad backs; and the upholstery is 30 years old, dirty, and smelly.  (I will eventually get around to reupholstering the cushions).  Not to mention sharing that crappy bed with a two year old and a four month old sounded like a loooooong night.

But staying for fireworks and leaving after meant pulling the boat out at ten pm, in pitch black night, with who knows how many others.  Our plan morphed into spending the day on the water with T's parents, and coming home around dinner time.  They were bummed.

My in-laws watch my boys while I'm at school until T gets off work.  The day before the holiday I was dropping them off, when my father in-law says "what can we do to make it so you guys can stay the night?"  It really sounded like fun, and I really wanted to stay; so in the face of accommodation, who was I to say no? I didn't.  And I'm so glad!

We got a bit of a late star getting out, but it didn't take us long to get to Mandeviile Island. With all the new stuff to see and touch, Collin was pretty distracted and happy.

However, at one point he was pretty angry. His new favorite method of tantrum-ing is the lay on the floor (gently so as not to hurt himself) roll around and scream at the top of his lungs. He'd also missed nap time, and this was the result:

He slept there for at least an hour!  (Still wasn't long enough).  He was okay on the inner tube with T

But generally, he just hung out at te back of the boat with the doggies

Alas, as I'm the photographer, I have no shots of Ethan and I.  They're hidden on someone else's camera, yet to be sent to me.

I was seriously surprised the boys did so well with the fireworks.  Collin went up to the fly bridge (a second story control center) with T, Grams, Gramps, and Uncle Bryan; whil I was down below feeding Ethan.  I figured he would freak out and be upset, be he loved them!  He just stared and was perfectly still. It was odd for my active little talker. Collin have the appropriate reaction for a two year old seeing something cool for the first time... lots of ooohs, and aaaahhs and wows. And then he got bored and practiced his jumping. It was funny!

I must say, it was a good trip which must be repeated. (Maybe without the national holiday and thousands of other boats lighting dynamite at three am. True story.)