5th of July Parade

Last night we spent a couple of hours shooting off fireworks. The kids had fun taking turns picking which ones, and interspersed a few rounds of sparklers. 

We bought way more than we could feasibly do in one night, especially with an early morning the next day. 

This morning was the 5k and 1mile fun run. Lisa, Dan, Joe and I did the 5k, while mom ran with all the kids. We left her with our double stroller, assuming she would want it for Maddie and Claire. Turns out, once Maddie saw everyone else running, she wanted to also and hopped out. Apparently she jogged almost the entire way, still in her jammies! 

We didn't have great expectations for the. 5k, but joe placed 15th overall, and 2nd in his age group. Lisa came in 4th in her age group, and I was 5th in my age group. Dan did great too! It helps when there are only 150ish runners :).

After the race we went to the fire station for a pancake breakfast, then staked out spots on the parade route. The kids were really excited when the first car came rolling by!

This parade was mainly lots and lots of cars, and not a lot else. Luckily there were plenty of people throwing candy to the kids, so they had a great time. 

Joseph was great about sharing his candy with Maddie, who wasn't quite old enough to figure out how to stand still, look cute and pick up the pieces thrown to her fast enough. 

That's ok, because Papa bought her a balloon from a vendor that she was really excited about. 

Early morning races and parades are tough work! We went back to the hotel for early naps, so the kids would have enough energy to get through another fun afternoon of fireworks and carnival rides. 

Lisa brought her camera out tonight, and I can't wait to see her pictures of the kids having fun at the carnival!