4th of July

We joined the Kacmarynski's for the 4th of July parade this year.  We were thankful for friends to sit by as well as the shade of their Texas tent.  The kids got plenty of candy.  Eric sat on the curb most of the parade with his bucket sitting next to him.  He must have looked cute because people would walk right up to him and drop candy in.

We tried out the Coralville fireworks this year from the parking lot of Gilcrest Jewet.  Plenty of space between us and and all the noise but you could still see the show.  Eric wanted his ears covered so we tied his extra shirt around his head and he was happy.

4th of July

We took the kids to Coralville for the 4th of July parade. Thanks to Grandpa's tent, we had some shade.  The kids got lots of candy and enjoyed seeing all the groups go by.

Enjoying some of their loot.

Looking to see what's coming next in the parade.

Dan often works during the parade but I got him to go along with us this year to help out with the kids.  I'm not sure what these two thought of the whole thing.

The kids made these flags to say thank you to a Veteran on the 4th.  It was Eric's first time using scissors (with permission) and he picked it up rather quickly.  We visited Great Nana and she introduced us to one of her friends who is a Veteran.  Sylvia and Eric each gave him a flag and said "thank you."

I had my camera with for the fireworks but we had our hands full and I didn't get any pictures.  We set up across the river from where the fireworks are set off in Iowa City.  It wasn't quite far enough away for Eric.  So, I held him aways back while covering his ears between my chest and hand and feeding him popcorn with my free hand.  Sylvia sat in the stroller, plugged her ears and used her tongue to pick up popcorn out of the stroller.  Drake seemed to be indifferent about the noise and light.  Erickson still says "fireworks loud" when we drive by the place were we sat.

4th of July Carnival

We headed to the Coralville 4th of July carnival with Grandma and Grandpa a few days early to beat the crowd.  After a picnic dinner, Grandpa bought tickets for the kids.  We were confused by the signs at first that were all marked at 48 inches.  After looking more carefully, some read "you must be taller than" and some read "you must be shorter than."  We would have had some very disappointed kiddos on our hands.  Sylvia remembered going on the rides last year when Grandpa's family was in town. She asked if my aunts were going to be there again this year. 

Sylvia was actually steering the boat, but Eric didn't know it.  She's taking her job very seriously.

I'm not exactly sure how this carnival game worked.  You gave the lady $2 per child, they each picked up two ducks and she proceeded to squeeze her ducks at them while saying "ducky, ducky, ducky, ducky" in a very strange voice.  At the end they each got to pick out a prize.

The ladybugs may have been their favorite.  The dimples are out in full force.

Sylvia put her arm around Eric after we asked her to take care of him on this ride since they're not hooked in at all.

The swings were a hit as well.  That smile just makes me melt.

We weren't sure how Eric would do on the rides since he likes to open and close things and always seems to be looking for a way out of wherever we are.  He ended up doing great on all of them and loving it as well.

Drake was around as well but too little to ride on any of the rides this year.

4th of July

We were joined at Iowa City's fireworks by my cousin, Jennifer, and her husband John on the 3rd. After last year, we weren't how Sylvia would react but she did great. Dan was responsible for bringing ear plugs for her, and she reminded him of that on a daily basis the few weeks leading up to the 4th. Eric seemed to enjoy the fireworks but always wanted to be pretty close to mom or dad.
On the 4th of July we went to the Coralville parade. My dad headed down early to set up a tent which provided wonderful shade. There was even a pack and play for Eric which was a life saver. John and Jennifer joined us again as well as my Aunt Sarah and her boys, Bill and Becky's family, Great Nana and of course Grandma and Grandpa. Sylvia knows all about collecting candy and wanted to make sure I had brought a bag for her. She liked sharing her candy with the people around her. When given a box of crayons, she said she wanted to share them to someone else because she already had crayons. I love her generous heart. We were all pretty tired by the parade's end...especially Eric.
Sylvia enjoyed doing sparklers for the first time. Last year, we didn't trust her not to grab the hot end.

We enjoyed spending lots and lots of time with the Hoefer family while my dad's five siblings were in town. Uncle Lee is a science teacher in Georgia. Adam, Katie and Sylvia got to help him make a car out of an old stereo my parents had sitting on their curb.
I was asked to take a Hoefer family picture. After figuring out who should stand where and getting the sun off every one's face, we were able to get a few successful pictures. I should do a post with the many, many pictures of my dad talking or singing thus having a funny face. He wasn't the only one causing problems but he was the main culprit. I wonder if that's how things were when they were growing up.

4th of July Carnival

Sylvia loves carnival rides! As part of our 4th of July celebrations, we took her to Morrison Park and she got to ride every kiddie ride. We were able to leave Erickson behind with family at my parents house since it was his bedtime.


We could tell that Sylvia has some experience driving a boat as she actually steered this little one around pretty well.
Sylvia saved the big slide for last. She went down all by herself the first time and invited me to join her for a second trip since it was so much fun. Dan noticed that the sign said you couldn't ride it while pregnant...but we didn't see that till I was done.


My dad's five brothers and sisters were in town for the 4th. Sylvia enjoyed all the attention from her personal cheering section.Sue, Chris, Linda, Gary, Jennifer, John...and the carnival worker.

July 4th Carnival

Although Sylvia did not enjoy the fireworks on the 4th, she did like the parade and the carnival rides. She said the fireworks were bright in her eyes like sunshine and we quickly returned to the car. She was very polite and kept saying, "I want to go home now." Erickson slept right through them

My dad and I marched in the parade with the preschool so Sylvia and Erickson got to watch with grandma and my brother's family. Dan was busy studying for his last licensing test. Eric got hit in the face with a piece of candy but didn't seem to mind too much. This was Sylvia's second parade of the season and she's definitely got the hang of collecting candy.

Sylvia really liked the carnival rides. We snuck in one last ride before running to the car as the rain was beginning to come down. Check out the sky in the last picture.

July 4th

Sylvia and I enjoyed a rather wet 4th of July parade this year. She was wearing a cute festive shirt but you can't see it under all the rain gear.


Sylvia learned what you do with candy...you throw it!



After putting Sylvia down for an hour of sleep, we headed out to watch the fireworks from the lawn of the Old Capital. She enjoyed sitting on mommy or daddy's lap and eating popcorn while starring up at the sky.