4th of July Recap- with lots of pictures!

We had a fun, memorable 4th of July today. I LOVE living in a military town all the time, but especially on days like today.

We started off our day by heading to Monument's 4th of July parade. We heard it was a fun, "small town" parade... And it was! (Though it was attended by approximately 25,000-30,000 people.) When we got up this morning, we could see the floats and cars in the parade lined up on the road by our house. My parents came over and we drove a few blocks closer and walked about 15 minutes to get to downtown Monument. A blog friend, Meredith, (who I met through my sister) lives close to us. (Side note: this is the first time I have met a blog friend in real life- which was really fun!) She gave us the scoop on the parade and invited us to sit with her family. We had a fabulous time! The parade started with a kids parade. Kids riding in decorated wagon and on bikes... Fun stuff. Silas is looking forward to being a part of it next year. The real parade started with a bang- litereally; people dressed up from the Revolutionary War era, walking and shooting guns. There were a number of military units that marched in the parade, which I especially enjoyed. We saw lots of classic cars, animals (camels, elephants, horses), floats from churches, school, businesses, and community organizations. Lots of floats passed out stuff- from fliers to water bottles to candy to toothbrushes. This captivated Silas- seriously. He sat for the whole 2 hours, which really surprised us. The parade wrapped up and we started the walk home. The sun was beating down on us- we were HOT. 

Silas watching the parade.

Military... Cue: "I'm Proud to Be an American"

Watching the parade... Meredith, me, Silas, and Abbey.

Elephants! A very fun parade surprise for the kids.

Camels!

My parents with Levi. My mom helped keep Levi in
the shade so he didn't get too much sun. So helpful!

Luke and Eliana watching the parade.

After we got home and took cold showers to cool off, Luke grilled out hot dogs for lunch. Very 4th of July. We all took naps, which was great. Especially for Luke. (He has worked the last 15 days in a row- today was his first full day off.) When I woke up, I was feeling a little burnt. Between a combination of: a very strong sun in CO, a tank top, and wearing only 15 SPF sunscreen... this spelled: "Getting a sunburn." Here's a question for you: Did you know that you can get a sun burn threw your clothes? I learned that you can today, the hard way. My stomach and back are totally burnt- and they were covered! Live and learn.

We went over to my parent's house for dinner tonight. And as usual, my mom did not disappoint. We had fried chicken, baked beans, a tortellini and vegetable salad, chips and salsa, and fresh fruit. It was all delicious! After dinner we went to Fox Run Park for a walk and to feed the fish. This is a summertime favorite for our family. We went back to my parent's when the sun went down to enjoy some homemade brownies. I will make them soon and post the recipe. They are easy and scrumptious. My only regret is that I don't have another one to eat right now! We stopped at a dirt lot on the way home (along with about 100 other cars!) to watch the fireworks from the Air Force Academy. Someone there was kind enough to blast the music that went along with the fireworks, which I enjoyed. 

Silas in the creek at the park.

Eliana trying to splash me...

Poor Levi, stuck in his car seat... Isn't he just adorable though?

Feeding the fish...

More feeding of the fish. In truth, Eliana eats as
much bread as she throws to the fish...

All in all- a great day! Time to remember what today stands for, time with new friends and family, time to relax, and time to enjoy delicious food. I hope you had a great 4th of July too!

Fireworks! Perfect way to end a great day...