Her Newest Endeavor

My Maggie can always manage to find the most inconvenient and expensive extra curricular activities.  First it was ice skating and now, her newest endeavor....horseback riding lessons.

When she first mentioned this, I honesty thought there was no way.  I assumed she would be done at the first sight of that giant animal not to mention climbing up on its back.  My Maggie is hardly a risk taker.  

So come her first lesson, Maggie proved me wrong.  And I mean very wrong.  This gal loved it!  Everything from the grooming to the riding to calling herself a real cowgirl.  And the fact that she could wear her pink boots certainly didn't hurt at all.

So Maggie starts each session with a lesson in horse etiquette and then follows it with grooming her ride.  She honestly loves this part every bit as the actual riding.  So much so that her trainer has called Maggie "a natural".  I never would have guessed.

And then she's off usually for about a 20-30 minute ride.  Meanwhile I am searching the grounds for  any source of shade.  Seriously she went from freezing me out at the ice skating rink to melting me on a farm.  I mean what is wrong with something easy like ballet or gymnastics?

But come on, how could I resist this smile?  Mmmm...that girl is as sweet as sugar!

Okay, so now that Maggie has officially claimed a passionate love for riding lessons I suppose it's time to invest in a real equestrian helmet.  I'll be sure to hang it up right next to the ice skates and leave a spare spot for her next endeavor.  

Maybe synchronized swimming?  Or better yet flying lessons?

The Fourth

As I was uploading the pictures from July 4th, 2015, I was thinking...did all his really happen in one day?  And yes, it did!  A seriously crazy, busy, fun {and even a touch of sweetness} kind of day.

Each year I like to treat my kids and the cousins to a festive goody basket.  Plus all the loot makes for a great photo op {shhh...no need for them to know my ulterior motive}.  Last year I scored some hilarious mustaches and sunglasses.  This year was a bit more tame.

No 4th basket is complete without a flag {that one is a given}.  I also threw in some red and blue glow sticks that were a huge hit come night fall, some sweet star wands for the girls, a pinwheel for Jack, and a couple star bubble necklaces.

The kids grabbed my camera and snapped a few of these.  It was so fun to see what they had captured of one another.  Total red, white, and blue silliness.

Post that amazingly festive photo session, we changed into our all American swimsuits and hit the lake.  We had a massive boat load with a real live American hero at the helm.  Such great fun!

We decided to stop at a local marina for lunch.  I have to admit I was in complete shock when they actually had available seating for all sixteen of us.

After a very traditional American lunch {we are talking burgers, hotdogs, chicken, and sweet tea} we headed back to the dock for some afternoon swimming.

While these shenanigans were going down, I had to get dolled up and clean for some serious sweetness.

And here's the sweetness...Baby Paul was baptized on America's birthday.   {I told you it was a packed day.}  And guess who has the most precious honor of being his God Parents?...Clay and I!  I was so elated when Joel and Catherine asked us.  Such a sweet baby boy and an absolute pleasure to guide him in our faith.

On another "not so sweet" note....my hair!  Ugh, my cabin did not come with a blow dryer.  And seeing as I had no intentions of needing one {until I fell off the tube}, I didn't pack one.  Thank your lucky stars right now that you can't see the back of my head.

We literally left the church on two wheels, changed clothes, and jumped on the boats for the fireworks show over the lake.  Somewhere in between all that we scarfed down a bite to eat.

We tied our boats up together so we could all enjoy the show side by side.  There was a lot of boat hopping going on {primarily among the children}.  Talk about about nerves...I was a ball of them.  Happily we all made it back to land safely {and dry}.

And the rest of the evening will pretty much go down in history.  Please take a look at this picture...yes, this really happened.  And yes, that is my 79 year old Grandma breaking it down with her grandsons.  I'm pretty sure she was dancing to Uptown Funk.

And mind you this was after all the driveway fireworks and sparklers had been lit and the littles were snug in their beds.  Laaaattteee night...

The rest of the evening {and sadly, into the morning} was spent with a series of dance lessons by a lake bonfire.  Everything from swing dancing to break dancing.  I mean, how much more all American can it get?

My fave is Catherine giving Jon lessons for his wedding reception...way adorable.

So I while I had an absolute blast with my family, I also learned a few things about some of them.

I never knew Aunt Catherine had been a professional dancer {what?!?!}.  And Uncle Joe has some serious moves.  So much so he was nicknamed Magic Mike by evening's end.  And Aunt Selena is a serious music connoisseur.  I have never heard such a music selection in all my life...it was nuts!  And finally, Aunt Scrub has no business sitting on coolers.

Quite possibly one of my favorite years celebrating America!  Love you crazy Dumbacher family!

Proud to be a Dumbacher and an American!  God Bless the USA

To The Lake

We jumped right out of the salt water and pretty much headed straight to the lake.  Although we had a week to recuperate from the sun and sand, it felt like we were right back on the road again in the blink of an eye.

Okay, can I just say this was one of the best vacations ever?  I am going to officially add July 4th to my list of favorite holidays {if and only if this lake tradition continues}.  I must admit, last year was a bit rough, but this year we worked out most of the kinks.

Clay and I wised up and got a cabin for our family.  Ahhh...the miracle of kids who sleep.  Although the back and forth from GG's house to the cabin for a pair of "I want to have a sleep over with my cousin" pjs, or the "let Lucy take a nap here" diaper, or "can you grab me a dry pair of shorts?" for the hubby got old really fast.  Totally worth kids who got a good nights sleep though.

So we hit the road on Thursday, only after one said spicy 2 year old put quarters in the cars DVD player.  {never a dull moment}  Post a Target stop for portable DVD players, we were finally on the road.

We managed to arrive at my favorite Grandma's lake house after an uneventful drive {that is always worth noting with my crew}.  The kids were itching to jump right in the lake.  They literally rummaged through suitcases scouting out their swimsuits right in the driveway.  And with that they were gone.

And speaking of swimsuits...don't even tell me you don't ADORE Jack's.  Seriously?!?!...little weenie dogs all over it!  I nearly passed out from sheer joy when I found them.  Jack wasn't quite as excited, but he wears them with a smile to appease me.

All three kiddos swam and fished with cousins, aunts and uncles until the sun went down.  After that we all loaded up and headed to our cabin for a good night's sleep.  Hallelujah!

We spent the entire next day pretty much lakeside.  By this point everyone had arrived and it was time to have fun.  On that note, if you looked up "the Dumbacher family" in the dictionary, fun is exactly what you would find.  I have the best and most amazing family.

Serious good times were abound!

Jack was a trooper with that slew of girl cousins/sisters he has.  Come on baby Paul...grow up already!

Since I couldn't get any of my kids to tube with me I snatched up my wild Halle.  She is always up for an adventure.  Reminds me of fearless Uncle Joel at that age.  That's a strong gene.

Come evening, we were still boating.  If Aunt Bailee's lap was free you better believe it wasn't for more than a minute.  My kids adore her!  Good thing because she is officially their Aunt come October.

GG and baby Paul even joined us for our sunset cruise.  Believe it or not, it was freezing out there.  I was bundled up with some duds I scavenged out of GG's closet.  Was totally not prepared for that one.

Thankfully it warmed up for the 4th!

And speaking of the 4th, don't you think America's birthday is worthy of its own post?  I certainly do.

Get ready for some red, white and blue celebrating...