4th of July Weekend

Our 4th of July weekend has been nothing but excitement and fun. We have moved from one amusement to the next—with no breathers in between.

We started our fun-filled weekend on Saturday with Elle and I eating with the lions. What? Elle and I had the opportunity—thanks to grandma—to attend the Boise zoo and have a yummy breakfast in the lion house. Not only did we get delicious food, but we got to watch the lions play, and we met a parrot named Andy. Elle found the entire experience to be supreme; and I was so glad to be the one to share such wonder and excitement with her—Johnny just got to push Hudson around the zoo in the stroller.



After filling ourselves with delectables, we walked to downtown Boise to attend the 4th of July parade. There we were entertained by floats, music, marching bands, police cars, veterans, characters, fire trucks, and of course candy. Elle collected quite a lute, and ate more than her fair share. Hudson missed most of the parade—as he seems to do—because it fell right around naptime. He slept through most of the festivities. But he was unconcerned as long as he could hold on to the mini American flag. He held that flag tightly in his fist for most of the day. It was very cute—and patriotic.



With the parade over, and Hudson well-rested, we decided to not let the celebration of our nation’s birthday end yet. So we all walked across the street and visited the Capitol building—very neat. We were all captivated by the beauty of the building, and fascinated by its history. We loved searching, viewing, and finding. Basically, we enjoyed being tourists.



All too soon, it came time to make the trek back to the zoo—our car was still parked there—but right before we packed up in the car, we took Johnny to see the new Abraham Lincoln statue. Johnny was impressed, and both Elle and Hudson enjoyed getting up close to the statue—not something they could do with all of the people at the unveiling. Then it was into the car and back home.



Although our 4th of July activities for Saturday had come to a close; our fun did not end there. On Sunday—the actual 4th—we enjoyed plenty of fun and excitement. We started our day with church, and ended it with fireworks. The middle of the day was filled with a family BBQ, the making of a flag cake, neighbors, sprinklers, and sparklers. Each item by itself was fun, but when they were all put together, it made for a fun and exciting day.



This year was Elle’s first experience with fireworks—since they were illegal in California—and she absolutely loved them. She was not scared or hesitant; she jumped right in. The sparklers were a definite favorite, as were the smoke bombs and the snakes. She could have done fireworks for most of the night, but alas, one does have to sleep sometime.



So now both of my children are asleep in their beds, while people everywhere are still letting off their own fireworks. It has been a very enjoyable and entertaining 4th of July weekend; I am grateful that we could participate in so many festive and fun activities.