A Delightful 4th Holiday Weekend

Oh was a very fun holiday weekend we had!

Happy Birthday, America!

 We went away to meet up with my best friend and her family in my old hometown of St. Joseph.

The reunion of the red-headed best friends!

Laura and I loved getting our three girls together. And of course we loved dressing them up for the 4th!

Left to right: Addie {2 and 1/2}, Eden {4}, and Makenna {16 months}

We spent the majority of the 4th laying on the soft sands of Lake Michigan and swimming in the pleasantly warm water.

Silver Beach, where I spent my summers growing up. It was so good to be back!

St. Joseph has added a beautiful carousel since I've moved away. It was Makenna's second time to ride {with last year being her first}, but her first riding on a carousel horse.

Makenna held onto my cardigan with a death grip the entire time. Still, she didn't cry!

We spent a lot of time snapping pictures of our kiddos.

We ate out at a lot of our favorite restaurants in St. Joseph. And apparently Makenna loves eating lemons?!

If you look closely, you'll see some "ouchies" on Makenna's nose; she face-planted mid-run!

As per usual, here's Makenna approaching strangers to make friends.

Another thing added since I've moved away is the "Splash Pad" water fountains.

Oh how our little water baby loved this!

Running, and running, and running...

Makenna's hair seems to be getting blonder and she's looking like quite the little summer babe.

We're finally {finally!} getting to the stage when we can use coloring to help her sit patiently at restaurants.

We loved our little getaway back to my "home." I miss coming here so much and even after many years, I still find it hard to accept that my parents don't live here anymore, making my return visits few and far between. But I guess that makes them all the more special in a way.

Still, I marveled as we drove through old familiar streets, dined at our old haunts, strolled the quaint downtown, and relaxed at Laura's parents' house, how it felt like I'd never even left. A big part of my heart remains in St. Joseph and always will. Matt equally loves St. Joseph, so returning for little getaways will always be a priority for us. I hope Makenna and any future siblings of hers will come to love this very special town on the Lake as much as we do.

Until next time, St. Joseph!