Independence Day Festivities

We had a full holiday weekend! We started celebrating on the 3rd of July, when my family came down for a barbeque. Ethan and Libby (my grandpa’s wife Judy’s daughter and husband) were in town from Indiana. It was fun to see them and to eat lots of great summer foods—grilled chicken, a fruit salad, green salad, and rice salad, grilled veggies, and chips and homemade salsa. And strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert, which I didn’t try since I’m unfortunately allergic to strawberries. Lame, I know, to be allergic to strawberries AND lactose intolerant...

After our bbq, we walked over to a nearby park on the lake to watch fireworks. We had no idea there was WAY more than just fireworks – lots of entertainment, food, games, etc. There were thousands of people there and it was all too exciting, so Charlie stayed WIDE awake – until we were walking back after 10 p.m.! I couldn’t believe it.

Eli loved the entertainment, especially a group of drummers.

Eli’s diaper is always sticking out of his pants, even with the waist tightened. He needs to eat more! :)

Ethan trying to read in the dark, waiting for the fireworks to start

We came across a bag of toys on the side of the road (in front of a house) that people were giving away, so we grabbed a few things for Eli to play with while we were waiting at the park. Free stuff is the best!

Poor Charlie was NOT a fan of the fireworks. We were pretty close to where they were shooting them off, so it was very loud and of course very bright. He started screaming and the only thing that calmed him down was to eat, so I had a lovely time nursing during the show.

Eli on the other hand, was VERY excited about idea of fireworks. We even got him to nap that afternoon, saying he needed to sleep so he could stay up and watch the show. I was so happy that he did in fact take a decent nap. All day he kept saying, “It goes BOOM! and LOUD!” Eli was a little stunned when the fireworks first began, but then became nervous when Charlie started crying. Ben was able to calm him down and Eli had a great time saying, “Ooooohhh!” and “Ahhhhhhh!” It was a great show, but I was relieved when it was over so we could walk back home and get our kids to bed.

The next day (on the 4th of July), we watched our city’s parade. I think this parade has been a tradition for a LONG time and there were some really funny floats/participants. Some floats were really impressive, like this one with Shrek:

Or this one, with the giraffe on stilts, walking in the rain (the parade started out in drizzling rain and ended with the rain coming down pretty steadily):

I thought the librarians were pretty funny (Eli likes storytime with the woman on the right)

Of course there was a float for bringing the Summer Olympics to Chicago in 2016… we’ll see if it really happens!

I was invited to be in this through my chiropractor’s office (everyone is wearing a piece of the spine), but I opted not to. I wonder if everyone wearing these needed an adjustment afterward? :) The chiropractor is the very tall man at the front of the line. I’ve only been a few times, but every time he’s talking to me, I feel like I have to really crane my neck to see him (he is that tall).

This group was HILARIOUS. They were walking behind a truck that said, “LATIN it all hang out.” It was actually a big group, but it was pretty spread out. There were lots of togas and it wasn’t very clear who the group was exactly.

And we can’t forget the biker chicks. I would not want to mess with these women. They were revving their motorcycles VERY loud throughout the parade.

It was all very entertaining. Eli loved hearing the bands play and watching the various cheerleaders march in the parade. We opted not to watch fireworks again that night – our kids were both wiped out and it was really nice to relax at home, hearing the fireworks off in the distance. Happy Independence Day!