Stars and Stripes. Red, white, and blue. The beautiful sight of American flags flying from every corner of the town. The time with friends and good food. Filling numerous requests at work for sedatives for the fearful canine companions. The boom of fireworks and smell of smoke lingering on the hot air.
Chadwick went to work for the day so the kids and I played. We followed the Taylors to Melba for a wonderful, small town parade. Morgan got slightly sick to her stomach on the way over so we had to take a few moments to get things cleaned up when we arrived. We staked out spots along the start of the parade route and commenced waiting. People watching, eating a few snacks, lathering up with sunscreen, and waiting. It was HOT. The parade was great - old tractors, older cars, firetrucks, horses, people, and more candy than we've seen since Halloween. The kids loved it and forgot about the heat with the catch of the first salt water taffy. We came home with a bag full of treats.
Can you see the orange spots on my arm? Otter Pop. I had chocolate all over the bottom of my shirt from Spencer, puke splatter on the back of the other arm from Morgan...the glamorous life of a mom!
After a shower and rest, we headed to the Orton's house for dinner and the Fourth Annual Cereal Box Battle. Chadwick made it city the night before, and I sent a picture to the other families who were going to be present so they had an idea of what we were supposed to be creating for the event. Amie promptly replied, "That better be an old picture. If that's what's showing up tomorrow, we are screwed." Dinner was amazing - BBQ chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, fruit, and homemade ice cream. The kids ran, the adults talked, and the littles got into the leftovers. Spencer was perpetually orange from Cheetos Puffs.
Then came The Battle. We decided to have all four cities compete at the same time and it didn't let us down. Despite the effort, planning, and firepower (or because of the firepower) Chadwick put into his city, his cereal boxes were rubble before the other cities had a chance to really catch fire.
The White House miniature on top of the Stewart's city was the last to go, and it had to be purposefully set on fire. I love that event. As Cyndi said, the funniest use of small fireworks ever.
Game faces on.
As the evening progressed, so did Spencer's internal temperature. He enjoyed the fireworks despite the heat and evidence to the contrary in this photo, but the poor guy had a fever of 103.4 by the time we got home! The kids went down without a fuss and we listened to the larger fireworks shows around the area before going to bed ourselves.
I am grateful for the freedoms and safety we enjoy in this great nation. It really is the "land of the free and home of the brave."
No comments:
Post a Comment