Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy Birthday, America!!

Lincoln is obsessed with America's birthday, and we are so glad it's finally here!!!  He's been telling me all about the states, how Betsy Ross made the first flag and why she put the on the stars and stripes.  He learns so much at Preschool, and he always keeps me on my toes!  Our neighborhood had a fun parade this morning, and we were ready.  Last year Beau was too little to pay attention, but this year everyone was excited.  We decorated our wagon in ribbons, streamers, bows and a sign and headed down the street to see the parade.  The boys loved when the boy scouts tossed them candy and suckers!  One scout even hand delivered a sucker to each of them . . . so sweet.  (I immediately confiscated Beau's and Linc's got "lost" on the way.  Sorry, guys!!!  I've got a yummy fruit salad ready though!!!)
The police car and fire truck really got their attention.  They tossed a few more suckers, so Linc got to keep two . . . Beau got to keep his Teddy Graham snack cup.  There were fun antique cars, lots of kids on decorated bikes, and our neighborhood celebrity (TV weatherman) to top it off!  Fun parade!
 The tradition of the Prestonwood Parade is to join the procession as the last of the participants pass.  We all eventually parade to the neighborhood elementary school for tours of the fire truck, lemonade, hot dogs, music and even a dunking booth.  We watched that one for a long time with confusion then laughter!  Lincoln enjoyed a few glasses of lemonade, and Beau scored a bag of Cheetos to take home.  He had a death grip on that bag . . . little did he know that he and Linc would be sharing that at lunch!  It was a fun morning for sure!  
Nana decorated Linc's tricycle with a birthday sign, a flag, and fun red, white and blue decor so we had to take it out for a spin.  It has been the best America's Birthday EVER for Lincoln!
 Swimming lessons don't take a break for holidays, so we headed to the pool this evening.  Surprisingly, Beau has never accompanied us to a lesson.  Tonight was his first, and he was on his best behavior.  Lincoln did great . . . he swam 12 feet, floated on back with the slightest assistance, swam all the way back to the wall, and so many more things.  He's a little fishy!  Beau really took it all in and was desperate for me to know that his brother was out there and desperate for Linc to see him and wave.  I think he stood at the window for half the class waving.  Luckily, Lincoln reciprocated!   
"Mom, can I PLEASE take swimming lessons too???  This looks like so much fun, and I can't stand when Lincoln does something that I can't do too.  Pretty please with a cherry on top???"
One day, my dear Beau, I will be ready to sign up for Mommy and Beau lessons.  I'm not sure if I've got excited enough about it for the fall semester yet, so we may be looking at January.  We'll see . . . but yes, everyone gets to cheer each other on at swimming lessons.  The Fourth of July was a pretty fun day.  We definitely celebrated America's birthday and had a lot of fun doing it.  I'm not sure I can make the next holiday quite as exciting - I don't think Labor Day has a lot to offer a 3 year old, but his parents will be quite thrilled to celebrate it!

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