Happy 4th of July!

Excuse the very delayed post. We have been very busy with birthdays, softball and summer.

Our 4th of July...

I’ve always loved the 4^th of July and this year I fell in love with the holiday even more. Not only was the holiday on a Friday which extended the weekend, but it was the very first time Nolan experienced fireworks. He loved them and I loved watching him love them. So let me begin by recapping just how perfect our day was celebrating America’s birthday.

We started off the day hanging out at home while I whipped up a few different foods for the cookout to be had later on at my dad’s house. My sister, Hayden and Lincoln met at our house and we all piled into my car and made our way to the Catonsville parade. This parade is so hyped up every year and we have always stayed far away as to not mess with traffic,vclosed streets and large crowds, but now with the kiddies we decided it was finally time to experience it.

We found a small side street a block away from Frederick Road (where the parade route takes place) and parked. We walked up to Frederick Road and I was prepared for the massive amount of staked out chairs that people put out ~~days~~ weeks in advance. Well, we found a nice large spot right at the edge of the sidewalk and set up there. Just across the street from us was an ice cream shop. Jackpot! We all had a scoop of ice cream, except my odd child that refuses to even try ice cream. He had a snowball! Before long, the parade began and the kids watched and got way too excited over the tootsie rolls, Frisbees and key chains that were thrown their way. Their attention was fully devoted to the parade for a solid hour. Well, an hour and half in the parade was still going on, but we decided we would head out because we still had the cookout.

We left the parade and then packed up for my dad’s house. The kids went in the pool (except mine...he stared at it, talked about wanting to go in, but never actually did go in). At this point Ryan’s parents and the Kennedy’s had joined the cookout. We ate a delicious meal and watched the kids run around and play for a little bit. Around 8:30 we set out to go to the Catonsville fireworks.

Nolan was exhausted and although we did everything in our power to keep him awake during the car ride, he fell asleep about 10 minutes before we parked. Again, we found another neighborhood (a little more congested than the parade area we parked in) and had a bit of a walk, but found a less crowded grassy area away from the mayhem. Nolan slept on me for 75% of the walk. When I switched him over to Ryan he had woken back up and no lie he said, “Daddy, I want to go home”. We asked why and he replied “Nolan wants to go to sleep”. Seriously, how lucky are we that our child loves his sleep? So, we made it to the grassy area and set up the blanket. The kids were all so excited because Aunt Lainy (seriously, the world’s best aunt) had bought everyone glow sticks, glow sunglasses and more. The fireworks started and we all just watched them together.

It was such a great day spent with our family and friends. The weather was amazing. The children were angels. The food was delicious. I seriously love the 4^th of July.