Whirlwind of a Weekend

For those of us in the US, this weekend had potential to be a very busy weekend, since Monday was the 4th of July. Since the 4th landed on Monday, most activities took place over the weekend. Mom & I took Squishy to Kid's Day in the park on Friday. It was terribly hot and sticky and I'm glad we were only outside for a couple hours. We spent the remainder of the day doing some shopping. But Squishy got to see the Kid's Parade and hear some of the drums play in the band, and then he got to ride the Smiley Train!

It's hard for little kids to wait in line, but Squishy did really well. He enjoyed watching the train pull kids around, although he always got upset when kids got out and he couldn't get in. When it was his turn, I thought he might get upset and not want to ride, or that he'd be uncomfortable being taken away from where Mom & I were, but to my surprise, he hardly noticed. He's getting to be such a big boy! Instead he was very intent on "driving" his car as best as he could. And he insisted on having his sunglasses on. The hardest part was probably getting him out of the train to leave…he wanted another ride!

The weekend was spent enjoying time with family. On Saturday, Mr. Man worked during the day, but that evening we dropped Squishy off at Grandma's for the night and we went to a movie. We saw X-Men: First Class. I really enjoyed the movie and since we went to the local theatre, it was only $4 for the two of us. The Charles Theater isn't fancy, but it's cheap and it's in town and when there's a movie we really want to see, it's worth it. Next up is Cars 2 and I think we might try and take Squishy.

Sunday was a low-key day. We picked Squishy up at lunchtime, ate and put him down for a nap. He took a VERY long nap and by the time he woke up, it was time to go back to Mom's house for a Low Country Boil. We had shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob and potatoes. It was so good and there wasn't a piece of it left over by the time the evening came to an end. PaPa's daughter (my stepsister) was home with her family from Colorado, so we got to enjoy their company (Squishy loves playing with his cousins and insists on trying to keep up with them!) My grandpa and great-uncle came to town, and my uncle and his wife were in town from Chicago. It was relaxing and enjoyable. As everyone settled into relaxing after supper, Mr. Man, Sis and I took Squishy for a drive in my mom's yellow convertible Mustang. Squishy LOVES this car and always wants to drive it. We actually have to keep a very close eye on him because he's prone to walk out to the garage and get in the car…

We went for a short drive through town and out on the highway. Again, the little man surprised me because he enjoyed the wind and open view of the sky. He doesn't like riding with car windows down so I thought for sure this would bug him. But he took in all in and really enjoyed himself. It was a late night for him, but good to do something out of the norm.

Then Monday was the 4th and so of course that meant the parade. Squishy ooh'ed and ahh'ed at the big trucks, the band and the horses (as well as all the dogs), but spent a majority of his time sitting next to my niece on the curb like a big boy. Even though we applied copious amounts of sunscreen, he still got a little burned on his face and neck. I think it's required that the 4th be hot and sticky!

After the parade and lunch, we were back home for some time to relax and Squishy's nap. Then back to Grandma & Grandpa's house for more good food (we grilled) and fun. Fireworks were at 10pm at the airport, preceded by the Municipal Band at 8:30pm. We loaded up the cars with snacks and drinks and headed out early.

There were sparklers and s'mores and good seats. During the fireworks, Squishy decided to sit with his cousins again. He was very absorbed in what they were doing, but you could always tell when he was watching the lights and colors because he would "WOW" and exclaim "What was that?!"
It was nice to see everyone and spend time as a family together. Squishy enjoyed all the company and excitement and makes me very excited to see him with his little sister when she arrives. I hope everyone had as enjoyable weekend as we did. I did hardly any knitting, but honestly, it was a good break for me.