Fundown Rundown

I don't know if we had the funnest fun in all of Iowa on the Fourth of July. But we did have FUN. Joe had the day off so that automatically increased the fun factor (for the kids & me) by about 100%.

Our holiday went a little something like this...

Pancakes for breakfast...

Run around gathering supplies (including tuna salad sandwiches) for a day out n about while trying to get us all dressed in patriotic attire...

Arrive at the parade EARLY...sometimes miracles happen...

Walk to fairgrounds to look at the carnival rides in an attempt to kill time before the parade began...promise kids a ride AFTER lunch...

  

Watch parade...Hannah was terrified for the first half...people kept trying to give her candy...scary stuff...Charlotte got something in her eye and couldn't stop rubbing it...Isaiah was a candy hound and FILLED his bag...

Parade ended...walk 0.9 mile in the blazing sun to attend free BBQ we learned about during the parade...abandon our packed picnic for pulled pork and corn on the cob...BEST decision we made all day...

Walk 0.9 mile back to the fairgrounds...this time we took a shady route...

Discover carnival rides cost $5-6 EACH! Ack...take back promise of a ride and buy the kids one sno-cone to share instead...we are the worst (& cheapest) parents!

Head home for nap time and dinner...we ate tuna salad sandwiches:) Delicious...

Drive to a different park that we heard had 75¢ rides...it's flooded! It's official the kids won't ride any rides...we ARE the worst! We ease their disappointment with a can of Sprite...

Go back to original fairgrounds to watch fireworks...

Ok. Now that I read through my rundown of our day it doesn't actually sound all that fun. But it really was a fun family day. I promise. 

And now for a little bunny trail and a peak into the inner workings of my mind. 

While waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the fireworks to start I enjoyed plenty of people watching (one of my favorite activities!). There was also a thirty minute time frame in which I was convinced I had been widowed when Joe went to get funnel cake and did not return in a timely enough fashion for my worry-wart self. He returned. With funnel cake! Alls well that ends well. Anywho back to the people watching...

I was really enjoying watching this family of five seated in front of us. It was mom and dad - they appeared to be in their early to mid thirties and very average in appearance, body build, and dress. There were two girls in (adorable!) matching dresses - approximately aged five and three. Lastly there was a baby boy asleep in their double stroller. Now obviously they weren't a perfect parallel to our family but close. Watching them made me think. Is that what we look like?!? Average American family...slightly frumpy. Mom, dad and a small herd of kids. Because in my mind we are still the YOUNG family. Early twenties with our cute baby accessory that we cart along wherever we go. We are hip. We are still somewhat ...errr....happening?!? I quickly found an example of that young couple nearby. Then I showed Joe the two family options and asked him which one was us. 

He laughed at me. I asked again. He laughed some more. I tried to defend my case. He laughed even more. Because clearly he knew I was being delusional in thinking we weren't the frumpy average family. And so my dream of still being young and hip was shattered while waiting for the Fourth of July fireworks to begin with my three children playing and screaming and causing general child-like ruckus around me. At least I had funnel cake (& my husband!) to comfort me:)

For the record this is what our family looked like that day....

Yep. Pretty average. Slightly frumpy. All American.