We spent July 2-4th at mom and dad's house, and much like last year, we spent most of our time in and out of the water.  Except for a few big storms and some thick fog, we had great weather for boating and water activities.  Martin and Sophie have grown so much in the past year and were able to do a lot more this year.  Martin tried the ski board all by himself, staying about ten feet behind the boat:


I thought Sophie was a bit young to try this, but she disagreed and practically threw herself off the back of the boat trying to take her turn:


I tried wakeboarding (and got up on my first try!) and kneeboarding (did a 360 and a jump, even though it's been 15 years since my last successful attempt), but my skills are nothing compared to my brother's.  Ryan showed off his new hobby - wake surfing.  Without any bindings and using a short rope, Ryan glided over the wake like a Midwestern ocean wave, only about a foot or two behind the boat.  We could have carried on a conversation, if he were that kind of guy.


When Ryan was behind the boat, my sister-in-law Carrie took over the captain's chair with ease, watching Ryan in the rearview mirror:


The kids are so at ease on the water and well-behaved in the boat, it almost makes me want to get one.  If only it were possible to haul a camper, 4-wheelers AND a boat at the same time.


We had bonfires, joined one night by Ryan's friends and their son, who decided to call my mom Grandma.


And, of course, we had fireworks, which were spectacular on Monday night in the fog:


On Wednesday, Grandma Mitchell (or Grandma Mutter... German for mother) joined us for lunch.  Despite technical difficulties and Martin's wiggly body, we were able to catch a photo of all of us together:

The Mitchell Quarterly Meeting: Sophie, Martin, Grandma, Dad, Ryan, Carrie, Mom, me, Marty.  Not yet pictured here - Baby Mitchell (still known as Hunter by my dad).