Fourth of July Fun

Abby and Tyler pretty much spent the weekend in SouthWood. First, they slept over at the Little Yellow House Friday night so I could wake up EARLY and take Dennis to the airport on Saturday. Then all three of us stayed there Saturday night after the fireworks ... and it was a good thing, because we were exhausted. The first thing Abby and Tyler did on 4th of July was decorate their transportation for the SouthWood neighborhood parade. Abby pedaled her bike ... And Tyler relaxed and rode in his wagon while I did the grunt work ... We ran into a few of Abby's friends (Anabelle, Emily and Reagan), who were also excited to ride in their first parade. See the Durham boys in their John Deere ride along (behind me)? Well, their parents were smart ... hands free was the way to go. That way you could jump in and direct traffic (i.e. six year olds on bikes who have forgotten how their brakes work!) when necessary. Tyler was actually very low maintainence, but he was OBSESSED with keeping the R-W-B streamers out of the wagon. You give the boy a job and he takes it seriously!I was glad when we met up with Grammy and Grandan (who had been watching from the curb) so they could pull Tyler while I helped Abby. She wasn't sure about navigating the crowds on her bike ... But she made it ... and we all crossed the footbridge that led us to a wonderful 4th of July celebration under the mossy oaks! SouthWood always throws a great party ... And while that water station may have looked refreshing (to our four-legged friends), we cooled off with some watermelon!And snowcones ... Plus we participated in an Independence Day ceremony, honoring SouthWood residents who have served our country. I love the creative liberties kids take regarding hand placement while doing the Pledge. Can you tell Lady Liberty is wearing sunglasses? She needed them that morning!Tyler and Grammy checked out the firetruck that parked nearby ... While Abby and Anabelle "hung" around on the monkey bars.Then the kids chose between balloon animals and face painting. We ALL chose to skip the blueberry pie eating contest this year. But it sure was fun to watch!Can you believe Abby climbed ALL the way up this climbing wall?We stood nearby cheering her on ... And she made it! I think she was really proud of herself.Tyler chose a fun activity a bit closer to the ground! What a great 4th of July morning in a wonderful neighborhood!