The Fourth with Family!

Fourth of July Bike Parade and Fireworks

 A parade is so exciting, especially if you are in it!  Nick and Colton's neighborhood has a kids bike parade on the fouth of July.  I was so excited for the kids to do it because those are my fondest memories as a child.  Every year our little town of Willard would have a parade and we were always in it, usually riding our bikes all decorated with streamers and balloons in red, white and blue!  When I grew older I started riding horses in the parade, and did every year until I moved away to college,
even sometimes when I came back from college!

 Even though I had to drag the adults into it, I brought the streamers and hauled the bikes to Grain Valley, where Nick and Colton live.  We didn't have much time to decorate as you might note in the photo above, but if you look closely there are actually streamers on their bikes:)  Since we were running late, we took a short cut to the starting line of the parade which unfortunately required us to carry their bikes through the grass.  Maybe that's what happened to all their decorations!

 Needless to say it was a hot day, and the parade route required a long ride up hill, but they did it!  Well, most of them, I ended up carrying Cora on my shoulders while Nick carried her bike and Kendall pushed Preston the whole way so he wasn't tired at all.  Regardless everyone earned their popsicles at the end, which you can see them enjoying in the picture above.  Can you see their poor sweaty, flush hot faces?

 Then it was off to Independence later that night for the fireworks show.  If you can't tell from the huge ear muffs on Kayley's ears, she doesn't like fireworks, not at all, can't stand the noise, neither does Cora.  So Nick got smart this year and brought his shooting range ear muffs.

Here is a cute pic of Cora and Preston enjoying themselves BEFORE the fireworks had started, because note she is not wearing her giant ear muffs.  It was a spectacular show in Independence, and we had great seats.  Maybe too great, because what I didn't have a picture to show you was the newest babies Garrett and Rex whose ears are being covered to prevent ear damage from all the booming fireworks!