Fun Over the Fourth

Someone was getting tired of waiting for everyone to get ready so she could go to the parade.  

The kids did a pretty good job waiting for the parade to start.  Ryan made sure Maverick had a Republican party fan to stay cool!

After the parade, we hit the little petting zoo and fed the animals.

Maverick desperately wanted to get in the boats but his arms wouldn't reach both of the handles to steer so Phoebe graciously accepted the task!  They made a wicked team in the water!

Then Phoebe headed off to tackle the tall bouncy slide while Maverick rushed to a bouncy toddler train.  

After a brief stop at home, we headed to a local park that was throwing a fantastic, free festival sponsored by surrounding churches.  Both kids took off for this slide and we got there early enough that the line was so short that they went up at least six times before we finally had to force them to try some other activities.

While Phoebe got her face painted and a festive tattoo...

Maverick opted for more bounce house fun!

We ended the night with the car show and the kids were in bed before 8:30 sound asleep.  Neither of them budged when the fireworks blasted for almost a full hour!

Good thing, too, as we headed out early Saturday morning for an adventure!  Our local donut shop was closed for the holiday weekend so the kids had to settle for Krispy Kreme donuts from a gas station (NOT my proudest moment).  Luckily, my husband indulges my obsession with farmer's markets and we were able to make a quick stop at one for scones (me) and breakfast burritos (him).  

Next stop: White River Canoe Company.  Can you tell some kiddos are excited!?!

The weather was gorgeous and the water moved just fast enough that we didn't paddle much the first half of our trip.  This was my view for most of the experience.  I believe I could get used to it...

Maverick and Phoebe were content to sit in the middle, hands in the water, trying to count turtles sunning themselves on trees.

We stopped on a rocky outlet for a picnic lunch and LOTS of shell hunting.  And of course a cheer or two!

We ended the day with a trip to Wilson's Market for some sweet corn.  

Monday we had a surprise visit from the newest addition to the family.  Last weekend Auntie Kate adopted a little two-month old boxer/Australian shepherd mix she named Gryphon.

The kids had a blast having a puppy in the house!

Maverick couldn't quite decide if he liked Grpyh or not and so he screamed (a LOT) but loved playing with him, too!  It was a good thing Auntie was there to protect the dog as I'm pretty sure our kids tried to love him to death with hugs!