Fourth Fun!

We had a fun full 4th of July this year. Our first activity of the day was to head to the Riverdale parade. Joe, who had to work the whole day, was kind enough to lay a blanket out for us early that morning. I am kicking myself for never taking a picture of all three kids together in patriotic attire, but I did get a few of them as a they somewhat patiently waited for the parade to begin.

The kids ended up with quite a bit of candy, but still their favorite part was watching the motorcycle cops (Joe's co-workers Trent and Nolan) ride up the street with lights and sirens flashing. Never gets old.

I was amazed at the parade at what kids (and several parents) would do for a few handfuls of candy. I later told Joe that I think that people think that they live in the land of the free candy and the home of those brave enough to run in front of cars to get it. Either way, my kids enjoyed it and ended up with a fair share of candy from a safe distance.

We also jumped on the bandwagon and, following Family Fun magazine's recipes made some red white and blue strawberries. The results were not photo worthy, but the kids had fun and they tasted good.

No 4th of July is complete without a swim and BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa Hubbard's house. Playing with cousins is always a highlight

So much fun in fact, that instead of heading back to Riverdale for their fireworks we stayed in Pleasant View, lighting sparklers and watching the show from the backyard.
As we headed out for the parade, Chloe commented that she had been waiting for this day to come all year, I think it was a day that lived up to her expectations. Happy Fourth America!