Fourth of July!!

We had planned on spending the 4th at Cave lakes, but as the day arrived, nobody was extraordinarily enthused about the prospect. Mark had been very sick and had to go to work and there was the fridge fiasco. We thought that watching the fireworks in Sparks sounded perfectly lovely so we got up early and packed up camp and hit the road. Brian's grandparents have a farm in Eureka so we, and his parents, tried to make it in time for the parade. We pulled in just as the parade was circling back. Brian ran ahead with the girls and I stayed in the truck to feed the boy. They got there in time to gather some candy. Small town fourths are such fun. They still go all out and maintain traditions. They clock the main street and then proceed to have races... lots of races. one such race is the gunny sack race. I will admit, Brian and I weren't convinced it was a good idea to let our 3-year-old who has never jumped in a sack before attempt it for the first time on 100 degree asphalt. Brian pretty much said no and I was teetering. But... then they called for little girls between 3-4 and Xiana got so excited we just couldn't tell her no. So Brian took her to the starting line and got her in her sack and...
She hopped like she'd been doing it her whole life. She didn't skip a beat and none of the little toddlers ended with asphalt in their faces.
Her little pony tail was bobbing. She was so very proud of herself. She didn't win, but great-grandpa Andersen was proud too and gave her a dollar for competing.
It was extremely hot... with no shade. I forgot to pack a hat for the boy but Brian's Aunt Nikki was there and she came to our rescue with a hat to shield his white little head. Ekco was excited on the way there, but once we got there she wasn't interested in participating in the races... perhaps the asphalt didn't look very appealing. We ate lunch in the park where they were having a luau. We had terriaki pulled pork sandwiches and Hawaiian salad. It was pretty tasty.
This is a picture of the bathroom and the garbage I realize, but for some reason, watching Xiana stand there I couldn't resist taking a picture. She looked so vulnerable and strong at the same time. She could be the ad for an orphanage with her messy hair, crazy necklaces and dirty face. She's so tiny... but still looks so tough. I love this picture.
Then they had a nickel race where the firemen use hoses to make a circle and then they drop nickels all over and the little ones get to scramble to pick them up.
Xiana managed to capture nearly 3 bucks... which is a lot in nickels.
She used her daddy's hat to hold them.
We went through several different towns that day and finally made it home just in time for quick showers, ramen noodles, and heading out to the fireworks. I was really happy to make it because Nic and Karla and the kids were here so we met up with them and mom and dad.
Ali and Malu were there also, but they were bbqing with his family so they didn't get to see us for long. Ekco was very intent on making sure we all wore red white and blue. She did a great job picking out outfits for herself and Xiana and then overseeing the rest of ours. She truly does have an eye for fashion.
Kolton slept all day because of the 5 1/2 hour drive so he was amped by the time we got downtown.
He sat on my lap and watched the fireworks for a little while. He fell asleep eventually but it was after his bedtime.
We didn't get home until 11:30 and I'm pretty sure we all slept GREAT. It was a great end to a very exciting trip. We enjoyed ourselves, but I never realized how much work it was. This is the first time I've had to shop, pack, clean up, etc with kids and now I can't believe how often my parents braved the woods for a camp out. I am more appreciative than ever.