First 4th

So last year we thought we would have N home by the 4th of July and we didn't. We watched the fireworks last year hoping fervently that we would be sharing them this year with our daughter. Last year our daughter was Russian. This time our little one was still Russian (she retains citizenship), but she is also an American citizen.

The town parade route goes by a few blocks from our hose. So we walked over and waited. We were at nearly the very end of the route, so it was a bit of waiting.
We were fortunate that it was overcast with a slight breeze, almost unheard of this time of year. It had rained in the early morning and was extremely humid, but at least we weren't roasting in full sun at 102 degrees. You take what you can get in Texas in July.
The family next to us had a friendly dog and N was enthralled. She made herself at home on their blanket and I finally had to tell C to corral her back to us. It just isn't appropriate for her to be quite as friendly as she is. We are still working on setting boundaries for her in that regard. Sometimes she can be a bit over-friendly.

That night, we walked over to the nearby park for the fireworks. We have a rather extensive park system that goes through town less than a mile from our house. We bought N a little light stick and it helped keep her occupied while we waited. She wasn't entirely sure what to think of it.
It had rained in the afternoon, so I'm guessing it ran late because they were late setting up. It was dark by 9 or so, but the show didn't start until well after 9:30. She watched most of it from Daddy's shoulders, and then wanted me to hold her. Then she practiced her sneezing...aaaaaashooo!....for a while (one of her new things) and then went into her stroller, LoveyBunny in hand and finger in mouth, ready for home. It was way past her bedtime. We watched the end of the show and then walked home. It's nice to live so close to the center hub of our little town.
We've never bothered to watch the little parade before, and we've seen the fireworks every year, when we didn't get our days mixed up and miss them, but finally being able to see it all with N, and watching her experience new things, brings so much joy to us.