Friday, July 4, 2014

4th of July Parade, Pool Party, and Sparklers

Happy Independence Day!  Our sweet neighborhood has a great 4th of July parade, and the boys were super excited to participate.  Decorated bikes and wagons get to ride down the parade route, so we did our best to get all festive.  We decided not to go the beginning of the parade but just join in as it went by our street.  Lincoln and Beau really wanted to watch the police car, fire truck, and marching band as they paraded by, then we could join in with the other decorated kids.  Mommy, Daddy, and the boys had so much fun cheering as the parade began. 
Mommy had to stop a few times to visit with friends along the parade route.  It was fun to talk with Katrina, Tara, Natalie, Kristina, and Karla at our first stop.  We got back in line and continued along the parade route then saw more friends!  Beth and Kate were there, which meant Rob and Corey were there, which meant (the most important to Lincoln) West and Nick were there!  They are T-Ball and Soccer buddies, so we had a quick pic (with Nick's little sister crashing the pic in the background)!  Sweet teammates! (Daddy had to leave for a bit at this point to pick something up for work, but he would rejoin us soon.)
Charlie (and his family) had moved up the street and joined our team pic, and this time Beau photo bombed the picture!  Such fun friends! 
We moved along the parade route to Bowie for the ending party.  Lincoln and West hit up the bounce slide.  They climbed up so high . . . after waiting in the longest line! 
After sliding down - so much fun! 
Next up was the dunking booth, and the line was even longer and much slower.  These guys had so much patience!  Beth and I were so surprised that they were amazingly calm while waiting.  Cuties! 
We watched Charlie take a turn before us and cheered that he hit the target.  Linc and West discussed a little strategy! 
So when it was Linc's turn, I got the camera ready and continued talking with the Moms.  Just before he launched his first throw, West's Daddy (Rob) kindly pointed out that Lincoln shouldn't be throwing with his left hand . . . Mommy hadn't even noticed!  Thanks for the save Rob - Daddy would have surely noticed that in the picture!  Linc only took a couple of throws to dunk the kid in the water! 
We hit up the bounce house next, and Lincoln and Charlie bounced like crazy!  We think Charlie is the cutest and silliest kid around, and he totally reminds us of Beau.  So full of confidence and personality!  They definitely had fun bouncing. 
We got ready to leave, and Lincoln discovered that he had a few star rings to hand out.  He had already given them to his friends throughout the morning, but he had two left.  He searched the school parking lot and chose two police officers to approach.  He kindly asked them if they would like 4th of July star rings to wear, and they sweetly accepted them.  He was so proud!!!!! 
After such a busy morning, we walked back home to have lunch.  No time for rest yet because we all headed to the club for a fun afternoon.  Daddy was playing golf, and the boys and I were going the to pool party.  Nana joined us right away, and we had fun!  Lincoln was a pool rat and couldn't take a break!  Loving the water!  He and Noah played for over 2 hours and had so much fun.  Poor Nana was a wrinkled prune after being in the pool with them.
Beau did some swimming and playing in the water, then he decided to have his fun away from the pool.  First up, the buffet!  He slowly enjoyed his food and was glad for Pop Pop to join him with a delicious meal.   Lincoln eventually did a little buffet sampling then the boys played in the shade and went for a short golf cart ride. 
We finally went home to clean up and cool down, and everyone was happy to take a break with the Lego Movie.  After a delicious dinner, the boys got to try out their first sparklers.  Thanks Aunt Carolyn!  Sparklers are fun, and thankfully not too dangerous!!! 
It was a wonderful Independence Day.  I've seen this message a few times on Instagram today:  Land of the free because of the brave.  So true!   We are thankful to live in a country where we are free to live as we choose, and we are thankful for those who have fought and still fight to make that possible.  As we chanted down the street today, "USA! USA! USA!" 

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