4th of July Weekend!!

We made the most of our 4th of July holiday weekend this year. On the 3rd we invited over a few of our good friends and had a little barbecue. Of course, I couldn't resist pulling together a little treats table to help set the mood...

And we blew up a big water slide to add a little excitement for the kids!

They loved it!! (And so did the dad's. More than one of them asked what the weight limit was because they wanted to go down too!)

(That last one is Dashell coming down the slide. Whee!!!)

And here are a few videos. At first the kids weren't sure if they wanted to slide, but they sure did like the water!



Later after sliding the regular way became second nature, Dash decided he needed to make it a little more exciting...


After a little water fun, everyone dug into a some yummy grub...

And then sat around and just plain relaxed...

It was a wonderful start to a fabulous weekend!!

The next day we went to see a local parade. This is our third year attending and we always enjoy it so much. It has a wonderful small town feel that is sometimes hard to find out here in Cali.

Parade participants made sure that Dash had all the appropriate accoutrements...

Balloons - check!

Clapper - check!

Now just smile and wave!

That evening we took Dash to see his very first fireworks display at a local park. He was super excited (even though he had no idea what he was going to see!)

We had to park pretty far away, because the festivities at the park had begun in the early afternoon. But that didn't deter Dashell and he ran the whole 5 blocks to the park!


Just before the fireworks started we explained to him that they might be a little loud and if they were he should cover his ears. And so, he decided to get in a little bit of practice before the main event...

Once it started, though, Dave and I ended up helping him out...

It was very loud and went on just a little long, so before it had completely ended we decided to catch the rest on our way back to the car. As we were exiting the park, Dash started talking about how loud it was. "Boom! Boom! BOOM!!" and how Ducky and Sheepy weren't scared. We told Dash it was ok if he was a little scared. But he kept insisting that Ducky and Sheepy weren't scared, that they were brave.

By the time we got home Dashell was completely passed out and we tucked him into bed. The next morning he woke up talking about the fireworks and how he could still hear them in Dashell's bed. Boom! Boom! BOOM!!

And he was right... after we got home several fireworks displayed continued for the next hour or so. The fireworks became quite a topic of conversation for next week. Fireworks and bravery and not being scared. Ok, maybe a little scared. But only a little. (His words not mine.) I was a little nervous about taking him, but I'm glad we did. It definitely helped to create a 4th of July to remember!