Neighborhood 4th of July Parade

Hard to believe but this time of year is already here.  I now have my very own little firecracker Caelin born July 3rd, so this time of year sneaks up on me even more.  Last night we decorated our wagon so that the kids could be in the 4th of July parade this morning for our neighborhood.  Lucky for us, Gamee/Grampee had a 4th of July box with decorations that worked PERFECTLY, and...there happened to be an Uncle Sam costume which caught Cade's eye right away.  So, early this morning, Uncle Sam and the fam headed with friends to the front of neighborhood where the firetruck would lead the parade.  The kids had a great time.  We were the only wagon, so the parade went a little fast and Daddy had to run a bit with the wagon.  I laughed pretty hard watching the kids laugh while eating popcorn and feeling the wind rush by.  Daddy on the other hand came back quite sweaty.  SUPER DAD!!  After the parade, we enjoyed bounce houses, checking out the firetruck, climbing the rock wall (the adults couldn't help it), getting popcorn and toys.  We were surprised we even won some prizes!  Cade got a Mickey Mouse sprinkler and Caelin got a Minnie Mouse sprinkler.  It was a great time and we were most thankful to spend time with our neighbors/friends, The Pagnozzi's.

Vacation in Galveston

We decided to take a little mini trip to Galveston so the kids could go to the beach.  Both of them have been talking about it for a few weeks, and even Caelin says "beach, beach".  So, off we went.  Their faces were worth every dollar we spent when they saw the actual seawall.  Every family has fond memories of some vacation to the "beach" and now we have more memories to store for our family.  I must say though we were disappointed with all the seaweed (you can see in the pics), but we still had a great time.  When we first got there, we went straight to the beach.  Caelin was NOT a fan of the seaweed and preferred to either eat or build sandcastles.  Cade on the other hand ran straight out in the water and was throwing the seaweed all around and having a blast.  This trip he even went out in the waves a few times with Daddy.  We tried to take Caelin out, but she was not a fan unless Daddy was holding her up high and with a pretty strong grip.  After our time on the beach, we walked across the seawall to our hotel pool and spent the rest of the afternoon there.  The pool was nice with a little play bar for the kids and we ate (again).

Once we were water logged, we cleaned up and went to Rainforest Cafe for dinner.  We went on the water ride while we waited for our table and that was an adventure in itself.  When we sat down for dinner Caelin promptly fell asleep.  So, I let her sleep about 30 minutes (she was EXHAUSTED from no nap and a day at beach/pool) and then woke her up to eat.  The best part was after dinner when we went out to the boardwalk where we saw games and a magic show.  At one point the magician said he was "scouting for volunteers" and Cade just walked himself right up!  I was shocked as he is usually shy in those situations.  Uh, not this time!  He helped with a magic trick and was the best helper up there!  Finally, after lots of dancing by Caelin and the magic show ended, we headed back to the hotel.  I think the hotel may be Cade's favorite part.  They played with their new souvenir toys, hid in the bed, and watched the beach from the porch.  It was a nice and relaxing evening.  By 9:30pm it was lights out and I was impressed that Caelin slept the entire night in a big size bed with her Daddy!  Cade and I slept on the other queen size bed, and everyone got sleep (for the most part).

Today's adventures included breakfast at hotel, a stroll on the seawall, shopping at Murdochs', Lunch at Captain Jack's, and Shopping at the outlet stores on way home.  By the time we settled into the car, both my babies were PASSED out, and we had to laugh.  What a fun few days it was, and I treasured every memory.  There is nothing I love more than family time!!