The Red, White and Blue

Two pregnancies, two labors and still it took Paul to remind me that no, we would not be watching the fireworks (live) because our children go to bed before dark. Hmmm. Sometimes I just forget. But that little wrinkle didn't stop us from packing three days worth of 4th of July fun into to one afternoon (I seriously need to go back to bed).

We started by checking out the Maury School festival, which I'm told has been going on for a very long time. Think: over-done hot dogs and hamburgers, a veeeery old man hammering out patriotic tunes on a portable keyboard, a baby beauty contest (!)... (Paul ran into a kid carrying a certificate that proclaimed he had the prettiest eyes and Paul says..."are you sure?" Horror!! ), a dunk tank, a giant moonbounce and a fire engine.

Kitchy, super old-fashioned and totally perfect for a neighborhood 4th. As I told a friend, I'm not sure what Harry liked most -- the hotdog, the fire truck, lights a blazing (he actually WORE the hat this time) or the moonbounce, which he visited three times before getting an elbow to the kidney by a "big" kid.

After Harry and Charlotte and Paul's naps (why didn't I nap?), we went to the waterfront in old town where some friends host an annual potluck picnic. Harry immediately stripped off his shoes and began roaming. To the waterfront, we stormed to feed the ducks, to the dock we ran to check out the boats (and point out the bloated tummies on drunken boaters...yes, Harry did, and quite loudly) and then we spent much time just looking up...many helicopters and airplanes en route to the airport. Harry can't quite say helicopter. It sounds more like hick-cucumber, which had me extraordinary confused until I noodled it through.

It was an evening of many proclamations...all of them more horrifying than the next. In less than an hour Harry declared -- in no particular order: "I want to jump in the water," "I want to run away" (said while dashing across the grassy knoll) and, my favorite, "I want to try beer." He managed none of these. Still, I think he had a very good time. I know Charlotte did, cooed over as she was by twin girls (3-years), who thought she was an animatronic doll. While she did not declare her intention to run away (bless her), she did celebrate the 4th by popping two new teeth and giving her mother official cause to say that she is indeed now "creeping."

I hope everyone had an equally amusing holiday, without or without a light show.