Another Fun 4th!

The 4th of July in our little tiny town is one of my favorite days of the year.  People come from miles around to walk around the flea market, enjoy the parade and watch the fireworks at the end of the day.  This year was a blast, as always, and it makes me so appreciative of this tight-knit community that we live in. 

One thing that was extra special this year was the benefit tag sale that a whole bunch of folks at Proctor organized to help raise money for my Dad and Gary (just as the breakfast and dinner had earlier this spring).  I can't even express how much the time, energy, hard work and generosity means to me and my family.  Both the Proctor community and the greater Andover community have just showered us with kindness over the last 3.5 months and it has truly lifted our spirits, given us hope and continually shown us how much we have to be thankful for during this very difficult time. They had a really successful day and we are just so thankful for this great community that we are so blessed to be a part of.  Here is the sign in front of the sale...

 There was a free jumpy house on the green this year.  The boys loved playing in it, of course.

 Barnyard Bingo is a staple on the 4th...

 Camden and Jordan had a blast watching the parade together.  They were so excited!

One float every year always has people dressed up in Revolutionary War costumes and they light a cannon and shoot it off - it is SO loud and they always manage to do it about three times near us.  Camden and Micah weren't big fans of that. 

 We wheeled my Dad across the street to watch the parade and he had a great time being outside and seeing all the excitement.

 Micah was a little scared.  I got some extra snuggles with him!

 Leapin' Lena!  Camden has been talking about seeing this car again for months now.  I remember seeing it when I was a child too.  We love Leapin' Lena!

 Camden and Jordan cheering on their friend Delaney who rode her horse in the parade!

 So loud!

 That evening we had a great cookout at my parents' house with the family.  My Dad was pretty comfortable in his big green chair until we had to rush inside when the thunder storm arrived!

 Camden and Micah love Emmaline.  She is my cousin's daughter.

 Micah was pretty excited about the day!  :)

 Story time with Ami before heading home for bed. 

 The boys fell asleep long before the fireworks began.  Camden had asked us if we could wake him up and Scott ran up to his room as soon as they began.  Camden crawled out of bed, took one look out the window and said, "That's nice, Daddy.  I think I'm going to go back to bed now."  He crawled back under the covers and miraculously fell back to sleep.  Scott and I stood in the middle of our little dead end road with our neighbor slapping bugs, hovering under umbrellas to avoid the drizzle and oooohhhing and agggghhhing at the beautiful fireworks that are set off just down the road from our house.

 Blurry - but they are so cute with their umbrellas!

 Thankful for another fun 4th!