4th of July

We got home so early (relatively) on Sunday, that we all had time to relax and get some energy back.  We had enough get-up-and-go to participate in some of the 4th of July activities put on by the city of Arlington.  With day camp next week and the reunion the week after that (with one day at our house and me in charge of the family breakfast and getting hamburgers and hot dogs) Dode and I were sure tempted to use the day for projects, but we tried to be good parents and make it a fun day for the kids.

Marshmallow Battle
The city was hoping to get 1,000 participants in a marshmallow gun battle.  When the Isaacs found out about it, they were really excited to participate.  Dode took the boys to buy PVC pipes and fittings so they could participate.  The Arlington Hardware was closed so they had to turn around go to Lowe's in Smokey Point.  (Turning their 15 minute trip into a one hour trip.)  They got their guns made and a few minutes later decided they no longer wanted to participate, they'd rather stay home and watch a movie.  We didn't go for that!  Dode took them down for the sharpshooter contest and battle.  Isaac Colson ate most of his marshmallows before the event began, ending up with six mini marshmallows with which to join in the melee'.  Dode estimates they got about 200 people there.  When the event was over, the ground was covered in marshmallows.

Kiddie Parade
The girls wanted to participate in the Kiddie Parade, which takes place before the Grand Parade.  Originally, the plan was to have Miriam dress up in her patriotic outfit and give her some creative way of pushing Chocolate the Bear down the street.  It ended up being a bit more than that!  I have a lot of costumes from my years of Day Camp Program Director.  Anastaya went as Betsy Ross and earned 2nd place in the Patriotic Category which had about 20 entrants.  Elizabeth, Miriam, and William dressed up as pioneers and earned 1st place in the costume category of 5 entrants.  We used our Costco metal wagon and added a covered top.  We put BB Guns, rope, and a cast iron skillet on the sides.  I wouldn't have minded staying to watch the Grand Parade, but once the kids were finished, they just wanted to head home.  We had to be at the kiddie parade an hour before it started to line up and be judged.  It was about 78 degrees and everyone was melting.  We're not used to humid Washington anymore.  We've been in much hotter weather in Wyoming and handled it better.  We sent the boys to 7-11 to fill up our three huge 52 oz. re-useable Extreme Gulp cups with slurpees.  The kids then spent the next hour fighting over who was drinking too much of the one they were sharing.  In the end, there was left overs in all the containers!

We haven't participated in any of the town kiddie parades since Jacob was about seven years old.  He was so excited to go and got so mad that no one waved back at him as he waved and smiled along the route.   We didn't want to deal with that disappointment again so we stopped attending.  Now that the girls were such a success, I fear we're back to participating.  (In fact, they want to make a float for the Grand Parade next year.  Janice said she'll help us, I bet it'll be amazing!)  It helps that they moved to kid's parade to directly before the grand parade.  That way, the crowds are much bigger (in the thousands) instead of less than 100 people watching the kids go by.  The reporter (there's only one) for the Arlington Times came up and interviewed the kids.  He didn't recognize us even though he ate dinner with us a little over a month ago.  When he got the names of the kids, I could tell he went, "Oh, this family AGAIN!"  He just can't escape us!  There was a brief mention in the paper about the kids winning in their categories.  Anastaya was thrilled that she's now been in a newspaper four times.

not the true parade participants

bringing the wagon over to us

one happy pioneer

Chocolate the Bear is watching out the back of the wagon.  Miriam loved riding here and really worked the crowd, waving and smiling out the front while Elizabeth pulled her down the street

waiting for the parade to start in my 4th of July duds

I think I need some sort of patriotic necklace. 

Maybe Boma can make me one for next year?

1st place in the costume category

Elizabeth is wearing the bonnet and apron Sheri and Janice made me back in 1997

for the sesquicentennial celebration of the pioneer's arrival in Salt Lake City.  We've gotten a lot of use out of that outfit over the years! (Anastaya in the background)

2nd place in Patriotic

(There's a red striped skirt under that blue apron)

pulling the wagon down main street

Elizabeth had been limping since skinning her knee two days before but she did just fine in the parade

People take watching the parade seriously

The street was lined with chairs 8 hours before the event!

Crowds of people to watch the parade

Anastaya was nervous about walking by them all and wanted to sit it out

I told  her she couldn't win 2nd place and then not march.

Fireworks
We went to enjoy the fireworks the town puts on in the evening.  If it was up to Dode and me, we'd just stay home and go to bed.  But, the kids love fireworks.  One of the worst parts of attending a fireworks show is waiting for it to be dark enough.  We set up our chairs in the park next to the play set and watched the kids play while we waited and waited.  Miriam doesn't like the fireworks loud.  When the show first started, she told me, "I can handle it."  Part way through she'd had enough and wanted to go to the car.  I distracted her by having her take photos of the fireworks and pretty soon she forgot about her fear.  She spent part of the show sliding backwards down the slide, while watching fireworks explode overhead.  I'd bought the kids prism glasses to wear while viewing the fireworks.  They turned all the white lights into rainbows.  They loved it and said, "Our mom always gets the best stuff!"  Dode and I fell into bed exhausted and both thought to ourselves, "It's so loud out there, I'll never get to sleep."  That was our last thought until morning when we woke up and realized we'd slept through everything!

Day Camp
Dode spent part of 4th making a pinewood derby style racetrack for day camp.  The boys will be making little covered wagons and racing them.  Our theme this year is Frontier Days so that covered wagon we built for the parade will be put to use at camp as well.  We bring snacks around to the camp twice a day and it will make a fun theme oriented snack carrier. 

(image is full size if you want to click on it)

The Isaacs got the fun job of bring all the day camp things down from the 2nd story of the garage.  There are supplies left over each year and I'm pretty certain they think I have way too much stored!  I spent several hours preparing my shopping list for this year.   The rest of the week will be spent shopping, sorting, shopping again for the things I forgot, more sorting.  Our home and driveway are being overtaken with day camp materials!