Saturday, July 7, 2012

Happy Days

Christina's in-laws kindly invited us all to join them for the 4th of July in "small town" America. We had a lovely day!


The day began with the parade, which conveniently comes right by the Walls' home!


Each entry is always interesting to observe.


Horses are a must for a parade.


I rode my bike in a parade when I was 4. I still think about what fun it was! 


Lately I've been thinking about how much I miss the get-togethers of my childhood. I rarely see my aunts, uncles or cousins anymore and I grieve over that.


But right now is the time my children are making the memories with their aunts and uncles and cousins that will last them a lifetime.


This clown rides in the parade every year!


Mommy and Daddy and baby.


The Walls' church had a float in the parade.


This town is famous for having a "tractor parade." This entry must really show the economic downturn -- smallest "tractor" ever!


I thought Laura would be more animated at the parade but she wanted to sit on Michael's lap and just take it all in.


Michael pointed out that many of the tractor drivers had "their girl" with them, just like the motorcycle men do!


And there were plenty of farm wives driving too!


Of course, for the kids, the parade is all about the candy!!!


After the parade there was ice coffee, lemonade and donuts to enjoy before lunch.


The homemade gluten free donuts were wonderful! You can find the recipe here on the Mennonite Girls can Cook. 

Water play was a must in the 102F weather! (And just so you know, it is predicted to go to 108 today with the heat index higher!)


Our cookout lunch was delicious with a watermelon basket our neighbors made for us!


Surprisingly, we managed to spend most of the day outdoors!


The kids occupied themselves quite well.


Now that mom has "retired", she is around for holidays! yay for being with mom and my two sisters!


Craig and Em joined us and spent a lot of time entertaining the kids.


They brought a gluten free cookie pizza!


And we had two amazing gluten free pies -- blueberry and strawberry/rhubarb


Dolly needed to have tea too!


She and John had a wonderful day together except for one minor moment. Here they are playing on the piano.


A lovely day of family memories!

Next week is VBS at my mom's church and visits with friends and family. Summer is proving to be a time of lots of "people time". And the 4h fair is really only days away -- must get those projects done!

I hope you all have a good weekend!

4 comments:

Laura said...

LOve your collection of photos.. it was a great time.. and I was so glad to be a part of it... :)..everyday has a special treasure in it.. but those holidays are for making the memories that last!!! love you

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful day, I would have enjoyed that. I love how you're all dressed in red-white-and-blue! And the farmer women driving their tractors, and the beautiful food... Though I would have been passed out in that heat, I imagine! It's good that you're making sure your children know who their family is.

Ann Kroeker said...

What a great bunch of photos--they are a reminder that small town, Midwestern Americana lives on in our state!

By the way, I know the Walls! Please say hi for me next time you see them!

Linda said...

Visiting from Christine's blog at Writing from Scotland.

What lovely photos and a real sense of the occasion. I laughed at the tractor with the parasol - never something you would see here in Scotland!