4th of July Celebration

This weekend even though it was a long weekend went by super fast. I had a great time but I hate how short it seemed. My sister came up for the holiday with her family Thursday night so we could get to the parade Friday morning. Luckily Justin's boss lives on 4th street and he offered to let us sit on his lawn. We had good seats and it was great because we were at the start of the parade.

The kids had a lot of fun at the parade and they got tons of candy. Nicole and I kept making them go out in the street to get the candy that landed on the street. We put all of our goodies in a backpack that we had. We were supposed to divide it up before Nicole left but that didn't happen. So I have this huge backpack full of tootsie rolls, suckers, smarties etc. Rylee thinks she has to have one in the morning and after school. Nicole thinks she got away scott free but little does she know that I will be seeing her in a couple of weeks and I will have a gift for her.

Rylee loved the horses and there seemed to be a lot of them this year but she didn't like what they left behind. We are all very grateful for the street sweepers who were following behind.

It was a great parade and we had a lot of fun. We are already looking forward to next year especially Rylee. She is already asking me when we can go to the parade.

We had dinner at Carinos and then went to Freeman Park to watch the fireworks. We had a little time to kill so we got the kids an ice cream and after that they dog piled each one of us thanks to the suggestion of my dad who we all know loves to dog pile. Rylee didn't choke on lifesavers this year. She will never forget that and brings it up all the time. Last year she was given a lifesaver and somehow she swallowed it and started choking. We all started freaking out and then this guy comes over and helps her. She always asks about him and I will never forget him either and will be forever grateful. Luckily all went well besides Rylee almost peeing her pants-twice! There was this huge line (of course) at the girls bathroom and Rylee is holding herself and all the nice ladies tell us to go ahead-both times and I was so embarrased but very grateful we didn't have any accidents.

It seemed like we waited forever but once the fireworks started they were amazing. I think they were better this year than last year because I didn't end up falling asleep like last year. Rylee ended up falling asleep though because she had missed her nap. And of course she is already asking me when we can go to the fireworks again. She did this last year. She loves the parade and fireworks. I am also already looking forward to next year as I always enjoy the time spent with my family.