I got so far behind again that I was tempted to do another post of all our July happenings, but I figured so much has happened it would be way too long. So instead, here are some pictures from our 4th of July adventures.
We started the day out at the Kaysville parade with our friends the Talbots and Edges. We forgot bags for the kids to collect candy so they ended up using the bags the camp chairs come in. Preston was dragging his big bag two feet behind him. But the kid would not let go of his bag. I'll be honest, now that I'm an old lady, parades are not my favorite. I don't love the crowds, finding parking, the heat, the humidity (which has been horrible this year), and the insanity of keeping so many kids back far enough, making sure they stay close by, etc. But I love watching my kids enjoy it all. I guess that's why we moms do much of what we do.
After the parade we headed down to Bountiful for a private bowling party with the same friends and another family, the Behunins, who joined us. Preston and Owen (who is 3) were so cute. They are such good little buddies and were jammin' out to the songs while they tossed the bowling balls down with the helper device over and over again. We discovered Preston is a die-hard bowling fan. The older girls were so cute, wanting to hold Marissa and take care of her. And having extra moms around was awesome too. Hannah put Marissa to sleep and after her nap, I handed her off to Kristie who held her while she drank her bottle. Yeah, we are definitely taking the "it takes a village to raise a child" literally. Our kids are very loved by so many amazing people!
After our bowl-fest, we headed to Ogden-Farr West to be exact- for what has become a tradition for my family. They have delicious Greek food you can purchase, a DJ, a huge grassy area to set up blankets and chairs and a playground that the kids always take advantage of at some point while we are there.
As it gets dark, 3 or 4 sky divers start out the evening and then the fireworks begin. I thought the fireworks might bother Preston a little, but it was much worse than I thought. Loud, startling noises are definitely not good for his sensory processing issues. I ended up sitting on a camp chair holding him, his head pressed against my chest with my hand covering his outer ear. He had a blanket draped over him to cover the noise and bright lights even more and I still needed to sing to him and rock him to keep him calm. Poor little thing. When the finale was over, I moved my hand off of his ear and he grabbed it with his little hand so fast to move it back to his ear again. It was hard. Really hard. And I was dripping sweat from his body heat and a big blanket over me for 20 minutes. I love the 4th of July. I'm the type that gets choked up listening to patriotic music while imagining the sacrifices that were made to give me the life I enjoy today. There was some of that as always, but tears streamed down my cheeks in sadness for my little man, my "baby", who has to face a life that looks so different to him than to most people. Sometimes trying to understand what his life will be like long-term is almost too hard to imagine. There is just so much I don't know and don't understand. It breaks my heart. Other than that, it was an amazing 4th of July marathon celebration.
No comments:
Post a Comment