Summer Has Officially Started...

I could lie to you and make up a great big story. But the truth? I just completely forgot to blog this week! I've had a crazy busy week punctuated with actually taking the time to go outside and get sunburned (in the shade, twice) to spend time with my children. And if you know me, you know that me spending ANY time outside is...well, it is just short of amazing!

Monday morning, Daddy and I took the Littles to our local Memorial Day parade. Meggie, of course, skipped the parade so she could sleep late.
Don't they look excited?? Literal seconds after that picture, I grabbed this one...
...with Carson scowling, wondering when the parade would start...and when the candy would start being thrown!

Having been in the flag line in high school (I know...DORK!), I've been in MANY parades. I loved marching in 'em and I love watching 'em. They're just so...well, hot, sweaty, loud, and 100% fun!

In this year's parade, we saw...
...high school marching bands...
...flag lines...
...baton twirlers (Molly's favorite part, for sure!)...
...Taco Bell employees (strange addition to a parade, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely)...
...Scout troops...
...various horse-drawn vehicles...
...a very cool fly-over by some military airplanes...
...and a few firetrucks. But the best part (besides the candy which, of course, is the VERY best part)...
...was seeing the soldiers and watching everyone in the crowd applaud them. What a great opportunity to talk to Carson and Molly about how lucky we all are to be Americans. While they are proud to be Chinese, they are just as proud to be American...and Daddy and I want them to respect and celebrate Memorial Day and the people who sacrificed to give us our freedoms. (There really should be a soundtrack behind this blog post of the Star Spangled Banner or something...)

After the candy was collected and the last firetruck passed...
...the Littles slumped into their chairs. Carson was grumbling about how hot he was (although I love that he was holding an American flag while doing so!) and Molly was complaining about getting rocks in her sandals. A woman sitting near us started cracking up when I asked those two grumpy kids for a picture...
...and they immediately got close and smiled big for me! What a couple of cuties!!

After the parade, I had to work on some homework, so I sat outside in the backyard while the Littles enjoyed...
...playing on the new Slip 'N Slide with our neighbor, Lauren. Carson has fabulous technique on the Slip 'N Slide, but Molly just CANNOT get the hang of throwing herself into a face-first slide. (I don't blame you, Molly girl...I couldn't do it either!) Evan showed up eventually and joined in the fun......especially when the squirt guns made their appearance! He is SUCH a big kid!!

Even though the Littles still had school this week (Carson finished today and Molly's last day is tomorrow), it's official...summer has started!