happy fourth!

So this morning, we paid a visit to the Murray City Fourth of July Parade. (Should that all be capitalized? I feel like it looks excessive?) Lou Lou has been to one parade before, but she was swaddled in a Moby wrap and missed it all. This was to be her first real life parade. And the pictures just explain it all so well. So without further ado...

First she read her book for five minutes. Because why do anything else? (Reading is her life. I know. She's eleven months. I know.)

Then, I took her out of the stroller thinking maybe that would help perk her up. She seemed less than impressed.

But then the three - count 'em, three! - police motorcycles drove by and did some tricks:

And that's where the fun began. It was as though something in her brain was triggered, that part that controls reason, and she was all, WAIT. THERE IS A POTENTIAL HAZARD HERE? Let me test it out. So she attempted to walk through State Street traffic:

But then she discovered why the kids really come, the candy:

And then. She saw A DOG. A DOG A DOG A DOG A DOG.

She about flipped her lid with excitement.

She was, in fact, so excited that she ran after the dog, thereby effectively joining the parade.

I know. You just died. So did we.

She then spent considerable time charming parade goers.

And then ended the morning with her first lollipop.

All in all, a pretty dang awesome success in her book.

And what, you ask, of our eldest? Annabelle? The newly minted three-year-old? She was her typical self: calm, composed, mature, and clapping appropriately.

Naturally.

Happy Fourth all!