My family couldn't get enough of our piggy girl! We didn't have to worry about her much around them... they held her and played with her for hours!
My grandma holding sweet Lia!
My cousin Stephanie -- college bound already!! I can't believe how fast time goes!!
We had a little too much fun with chalk apparently! He was COVERED in it.
And a little while after this there was a huge thunder storm. I forgot how many thunder storms pop up in the summer there. All the dark clouds roll in and it will rain and rain for a good 20 minutes with thunder and lightning and then just like that it's all done! I loved it!!
Then that night we walked up the road to watch the battle of the bands (marching bands). Every year they have a marching band competition with high school bands from all over the country. I also got to see my Aunt Rose's grave site at the family plot. I had never seen it before. Amelia and Mattie are named after her (Amelia Rose and Mattie Rose). She was an amazing lady!
There's Stephanie's name on the bridge by the high school. I guess it's what they do when they are seniors! Kinda cool!
My mom and her sister Andrea -- probably dancing like crazy people!
Lia is such a happy girl!!
The cousins!! Kim is sitting next to Max -- they have the same birthday!
Mattie Rose being Mattie Rose... so cute!
The Weiner Mobile!! Oh man, I love this car!
I can't even tell you how awesome it is to be in a place that seriously goes ALL OUT for the Fourth. They even paint the lines in the road red, white and blue!
They have a really long parade that is really awesome and my "uncle" Cheech has a house on the parade route so we used to go every year when we were little. It was so fun to take Max and Lia to see the parade, too!
We have to walk to my uncle's house because they don't allow cars to drive. We usually drop the old ladies off early in the morning and then the rest of us walk. On the way there we say REAL pirates! I thought Max was going to just die. He didn't even know what to do! He just kept staring and staring at them. He even got a gold pirate dabloon.
We got the kids matching Fourth outfits. I remember as a kid that our outfits were very important. We HAD to have red white and blue somehow. Unfortunately they wouldn't pose nice for a picture...
Here's more family waiting for the parade. This family is on my mom's side (and her dad's side).
And then it finally started!!
I guess this is where Santa vacations.
Max got to meet a couple super heros. He thought it was the most awesome thing that he got to shake their hands and give them high fives! Cute boy!
My dad and Margaret came up, too! It was nice having everyone there. And you can't beat the location! Lia was really obsessed with my dad's hat.
My dad bought Max the most annoying toy on the planet. A very LOUD trumpet thing.
You know that famous picture of the soldier dipping the nurse and kissing her? It was in a newspaper during World War II. And there was a GIGANTIC replica of it down here in San Diego for a while. Well, those are the actual people from the picture! They are old now, and weren't actually a couple. In fact, there is a woman standing behind the couple off to the side in the picture and she would later become the wife of the soldier! So funny! But it was neat to see these two. There is a HUGE military presence in that area and the parade is all about supporting and thanking them for what they do. It's so patriotic! This parade is the longest running Fourth of July parade in the nation.
The most gigantic horses ever!
No explanation needed!
Lia fell asleep like this in the baby bjorn. So weird!
More cousins watching the parade!
More pirates!
Then there is this guy. Every year when there is a lull in the parade he gets a bunch of volunteers and jumps over them. I think he made it up to 8 or 9 this year. And also, I pretty sure he's kinda tipsy when he does this -- no volunteering here!
The parade was really fun. I'm glad Tyler got to finally go -- it was his first time! It's such a part of my childhood and I wanted to share it with my kids, too. And really, it felt exactly the same -- I love how some things never change! We had a great time and were exhausted at the end.
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