4th of July

The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays and this year did not disappoint.  The Woodbridge community hosts several activities for the 4th, so we don't even have to go far to enjoy plenty of fun.

Charlie and I have run the 10k for the past several years (though I skipped out last year since I had given birth less than a month earlier and two years ago we were in Las Cruces).  This year I had a goal to set a new PR for myself.  Last time I did the Woodbridge run my time was 1 hour and 29 seconds (but that included about 14 stops to give Isaac snacks, drinks, and toys, and pick up things he'd thrown).  This year I really wanted to do it in under 50 minutes, though I felt it might be an overly ambitious goal.  One of the only nice things about running on a treadmill at the gym instead of outside on the trail, is that I've gotten quite a bit faster.  To keep things interesting I like to play with the speed & incline settings and I also just want to get my miles done faster so that I can get off!

For the race we borrowed another jogging stroller from a friend, and I got to push Luke while Charlie pushed Isaac.   I didn't feel too bad about giving Charlie the heavier, less patient, child since I have pushed him in all of the years past!* Charlie told me he wasn't going to worry about his time and just take it slow, but once the race started he quickly passed me up and we leap frogged each other the whole way.  In the end I beat him by about 30 seconds, but I have a suspicion that he let me beat him because he knew I had been working hard for a faster time.  I finished at 50:28 and though I know that was a fantastic time for me, I'm still kicking myself a bit that I was just 30 seconds shy of breaking that 50 minute mark.  Next year!

*Update - Charlie just read this post and informed that I am wrong!  He did stop and wait for me at the 3 mile mark one year and took Isaac for the last half of the race.  I don't know why I forgot about that.  Thanks Charlie!

Following the race there is a bike parade where all of the children can decorate their bikes, wagons, scooters, etc.  Some people throw out candy, and there is a band and a color guard, and I think one float.  It is pretty simple but Isaac thinks it is a lot of fun.

We had planned to spend the afternoon at the pool, but the weather turned out to be unseasonably cloudy and cool all day long.  So we just hung out at home and then went to Happy Hour at Sonic to get diet cherry limeades.  For dinner we made fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, corn, and watermelon.  I decided not to make homemade ice cream since Charlie doesn't really care for it and I didn't want to have to eat it all myself, but by the time evening rolled around I was really kicking myself for not making it!  It was a tradition in my family growing up and one of my favorite things about the 4th.  So I'll add that to the list for next year too.

After dinner we went outside to do "fireworks."  We are pretty limited here in Southern CA, but we did pick up a few packages of poppers for Isaac to play with.  We had the kind where you pull the string and all of the streamers pop out, and then the little snap-pop things that you throw on the ground.

The 4th of July may be Cracker's least favorite day of the entire year.  He is absolutely terrified of fireworks.  Even the little poppers that you throw on the ground.  Also, I forced him to take photos wearing a silly patriotic hat, because I am a nerd like that.  Charlie was a party pooper and didn't wear the appropriate colors for the day, so he got to be the photographer.

Woodbridge does a firework show over the lake, which is just 1/4 mile from our house.  So we kept the boys up a little late and walked down the street to watch the show.  Isaac was excited to turn the lights on his light-up necklace that Charlie had bought for him a few days earlier.

We had about a 15 minute wait before the show started and you would have thought little Luke had ants in his pants.  He could not hold still for one second (though that was not unique to this occasion).  Isaac learned the song "You're a Grand Old Flag" in Primary this year, and has been singing it non-stop.  So we kept busy by singing "You're a Grand Old Baby" while flying Luke around in the air and Isaac took dozens of crazy pictures with my phone.

I wasn't sure how Luke would react to the fireworks, but once they started he held perfectly still in my lap (I was shocked) and watched the entire show.

We had a great day!  I think I've said this before, but if anyone ever wants to come visit us for the 4th of July - Woodbridge is a great place to spend the holiday and we'd love to have company!