4th of July

We had a blast this past 4th of July!  The weather was perfect which always helps and we were surrounded by friends and family.

We began our morning by attending our town's parade.  It's very close to our house so we ride our bikes there to stay away from all the traffic.  Last year, Eliel got bored and didn't want to stay until the end.  This year, we stayed until the end and even watched the street cleaners come by and clean up after the parade was over.  Our town's parade lasted about an hour and  half and Eliel loved every minute of it!  He was constantly awed by the trucks and bands that paraded by and loved grabbing the candy and other treats the parade walkers threw out as they walked by. In addition to tons of candy, Eliel received two water bottles, a t-shirt, a fake tattoo, and a banana from the local grocery store (such a cool idea!)  Once Eliel realized that we would let him eat some of the things they threw out, he was like a machine.  Luckily, a few groups threw out fruit snacks and he actually chose to eat the banana over the candy at one point which was good.

After the parade, we went over to Adam's parent's house and had fun visiting with family and friends.  I brought my camera with but totally forgot to take pictures.  What is getting into me? :)

We wanted Eliel to see some fireworks this year since he hadn't had a chance to do so yet so we decided to stay close to home to minimize the and go to the fireworks at the racetrack.  We again rode our bikes and found a great spot just outside of the track.  Eliel was loving the fireworks and then there was a break in the action.  It was obvious the show wasn't over and we had yet to see a finale but the fireworks had stopped.  Of course, Eliel decided he had had enough and said it was time to go home.  Mommy and Daddy wanted to stay and watch until the end but Eliel wanted to go home and so home we went.  We found out that one of the trailers in the park had caught fire and the fire department couldn't get to it until the fireworks stopped.  They finished the fireworks show just as we were arriving home.  Eliel was in bed by about 10:30 but unfortunately for us, he didn't sleep in the next morning and was up again at 6:30am.  We had a very 'fun' Sunday because of it! ;)

Here's hoping next year's fireworks go better!  Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th too!