Independence Day

Our local Independence Day parade has a "no candy" rule that I think is totally lame. Plus it's in the evening, which makes things like dinner complicated. A friend recommended trying the Kingsville parade instead, so off we went! 

Despite being there 45 minutes early, the road we needed to turn down was already blocked off. Which meant we got to park a mile away and walk with a combined 8 children. Also, the heat and humidity were off the charts. My kids were thrilled, as you can see from this picture:

Because it was so hot, most of the kids opted to stay in the shade. Not Aaron. He was dedicated to the collection of candy and was greatly rewarded for his efforts:

Hot, sweaty Elise enjoying a sucker and supporting Governor Hogan:

Catherine picked out her own patriotic shirt and bow:

Seth never fully recovered from the heat.

Even after conning the hosts into giving him soda. 

We ended the parade with quite the bag of candy and a huge pile of Chickfila gift cards. Probably worth the heat? Mostly?

For dinner we hauled our grill to the pool and enjoyed a nice barbecue dinner followed by swimming. Doesn't get much more 'summer' than that!

And then, because Stephen is a brave soul, we decided to go see the fireworks. We considered going to DC, but after hearing about nightmare traffic getting home, decided that probably wasn't the best option. So Bel Air it was!

I was nervous about the crowds since we only arrived about 30 minutes before they started, but we were able to walk right down and find a spot on the grass, no problem. 

Elise enjoying some Daddy time.

And probably glaring at Tauriel.

How many kids fit on a picnic blanket? 

Three, apparently.

Good thing Catherine was off chasing fireflies.

For a small town, Bel Air does a great job with fireworks! We were about as close as we could be, and it was awesome. The little ones did great: we only had tears a few times over the really loud ones. 

I think this will have to be tradition now!