Pioneer Day

Happy Pioneer Day!  Didn't we just have this holiday?  Oh, wait.  That was the 4th of July, which we celebrate in almost exactly the same way.  Right.

So first on today's To Do list is the parade in Monroe.  Far from being a repeat of the parade on the 4th, this parade was a lot better.  There more interesting floats (more floats and more floats that were interesting), it seemed to move a little faster, and they threw more candy!  That, of course, is what was important to my kids.

Cannon especially was rushing to gather as much candy as he could, and I guess it paid off because he had the most candy of anyone.  And then, of course, there are those floats that don't throw candy, but shoot water instead.  I tend to cower and hide my camera when those floats go by, but my kids rush to the front and spread their arms wide so as to be a better target.

But the best part of the parade was when the RHS band went past.  Ben was playing his trumpet, and received lots of cheers.  First from Jerrele and family on the other side of the street, and then from us.  How do you play a trumpet while grinning?  Ben must have figured it out, because he played and grinned for a whole block.

We have always struggled with what to do in between the parade and the fireworks on these holidays.  Many years we have just sat around and read books or watched movies, but I've been trying to be a little more creative this year and get us out to do something during the day.

Stacia and Julie were in town, so after sorting all the candy, we decided that we should all go to the Salina Park for a picnic.  My kids love the Salina Park, mostly for its dangerous playground equipment. 

They all ran for the Merry-Go-Round as soon as the car stopped, and didn't get off until they were all properly sick.  

The next stop was the swings.  Now, these are not regular swings.  These are super cool, fly through the air swings.  They tell me that you can go higher if there's someone heavier in the other swing, so Stacia, Julie, and Ben were very popular swinging partners.  All you have to do is talk someone into getting you started, and then you fly around and around. 

I think we did actually have some lunch somewhere in there, along with dancing lessons from Ben.


Then it was home for a nap, off to my parents' for a barbecue, and then back to Monroe for fireworks.  Everyone was exhausted by the time we were done, so that makes the day a win, right?