The Smith Files: Fourth of July 2012

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Fourth of July 2012

The 4th of July was a little different for us this year than in years past. This time we found ourselves in Wisconsin Dells, enjoying the last day of our vacation, instead of participating in the parades and festivities that we look forward to each year in our neighborhood. In fact, when we told Brody that we would still be in the Dells for the 4th, he was actually really bummed to miss the bike parade that our block puts on each year. However, we assured him there would be plenty of fun things, and thankfully, our resort did not disappoint. They put on a kid's parade, and instead of decorating bikes, we decorated luggage carts made up to look like little floats. How cute is that?! The dads pulled the carts in a line all through the halls of the resort and outside around the waterpark area. The kids in the back float even got to throw candy. It was a totally new experience for us and tons of fun!

B & L in their float before the parade

we made c's stroller into his very own float!

getting ready for the parade

happy 4th of july!

After the parade, we enjoyed the waterpark for a couple more hours before we decided to make the trip back. Since we were in Wisconsin, we decided to stop at one of the big fireworks warehouses on the way home. Wisconsin is allowed to sell much more impressive fireworks than you can find in Minnesota, so we picked out a couple sample packs to bring home. We made it home just as the "street fireworks" were getting started on our block. As much as I would have liked to just cuddle up on the couch and relax after a long trip back from vacation, the kids were totally stoked at getting to participate in the 4th of July activities we have come to look forward to each year, so we rallied and headed outside to hang with the neighborhood.