The 4th.

Yesterday was easily one of the best 4th of July celebrations ever. First of all, Sean was off on a Wednesday, and while I know he would much rather have had the 4th fall on a Friday or Monday, it was kind of a nice way to break up the week. The morning started off great when I woke up and realized both of my children had slept in. It was 7:30am, but having two kids still sleeping at that hour is extremely rare around here! We then got them dressed, grabbed breakfast out, and headed to the Kernersville parade. I wanted to arrive early, partly so that we could find a good spot, but also because Nana and Grandpa Johnny were running in the 5K race before the parade, and we were hoping to cheer them on if we saw them run by. We did end up seeing my mom, and even though she couldn't hear us (ear buds in), we cheered for her anyway!

The parade was so much fun! Ethan did get to see the Christmas parade, the one Gracie and I rode in, but he was so little then. This time, he was totally entranced by everything going on around him. He even waved and clapped as the parade went on. Gracie also had a blast waving to the passing vehicles and catching the candy the people were throwing.


After the parade, Gracie and Ethan seemed worn out, so we came home for lunch and naps. They both slept great, which can also be a rare thing! It was nice to have some lazy time with Sean on his day off while they were asleep. After naps, he grilled steaks and we enjoyed our 4th of July meal, which was so yummy!


Fireworks were held at a local elementary school, but before they began, there was a concert, complete with concession stands, an inflatable slide, and bounce house for the kids to enjoy. Gracie had so much fun! We bought a wrist band for $3 and she had unlimited access to both inflatables. Her first trip down the slide was apparently entertaining....


I was with Ethan, but Sean said she jumped right back up, announced that she was okay, and was ready to go again! This picture does make me laugh, though. :)


For a small town, Kernersville hosts a pretty impressive fireworks show. Our good friends and their son joined us before they began. I wondered how Ethan would react to them, since this was his first fireworks experience. The noise wasn't an issue at all. In fact, he kept reaching for the fireworks, almost like he wanted to grab them. All three kids seemed to really enjoy watching the fireworks, and it was fun having them together! We didn't get home until almost 11, but Gracie hung in there until the very end! Ethan fell asleep in the car. Beginning to end, it was a wonderful day, and such a nice way to celebrate our country.

Comments

  1. Confessions From A Work-At-Home MomJuly 6, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    First, I hadn't realized how much hair Ethan has!!!! LOVE IT!

    Second, that picture of Gracie going headfirst on the slide - WOW, she's a toughie! They didn't offer the bouncers last year at the fireworks, did they? I don't remember.

    This was the first year since G was born that we haven't been at the K-ville show, and I did miss it. We nearly got rained out in Ohio (the natural fireworks coincided with the grand finale there), and with the threatening skies, I had to live C at home :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. Platinum RoseJuly 10, 2012 at 12:46 PM

    I'm bringing you the pictures and video I took, when we get together. Don't let me forget!

    I know I told you this already, but I think it bears repeating just how special this 4th of July was for me, my husband, and my son. This 4th greatly helped replace/erase several now-painful (and never really all that enjoyable anyway, to be honest) 4th of July memories, with a brand new, better-than-I-ever-could-have-hoped-for memory in its place. Thank you so much for sharing the fireworks event with us, I can't even tell you how much that means to me. Except that it brought tears to my eyes walking back to our car as I reflected on all that has changed. What an awesome, special evening! I am so glad it was spent with you four!

    ReplyDelete

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