4th of July fun!

On the 4th we headed to Waverly for their parade.  The boys got into it a little more than last year - Henry did a little better with the loud sirens but still had to leave the viewing area and go back about 6-8 feet.  A few of the entries had water pumpers, balloons and water guns which was mostly cooling except for the balloon that landed in a bit of dirt and sprayed us with a little mud.  Henry also had to take cover during these entries so he didn't get wet.  The boys' candy bag was full enough to share with Mike & I and grandma too.

We returned to grandma and grandpa's where the boys ended up taking a nap before lunch, for some reason they woke up even earlier than usual that morning and the excitement of the parade depleted all their energy.  After lunch/dinner it was time for some daytime fireworks . . smoke balls, tanks, snaps, and parachutes.  Ralph tried lighting a few with a little help and Henry covered his ears on the loud ones.

The boys enjoyed playing with Uncle Nick who was here for a visit.

I can't avoid it any longer . . next year the 4th is on  Friday and they'll be another year older.  I think I see sparklers and late night viewing of actual fireworks on the horizon.

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Ralph: Tball Season 1 in the books!

Ralph participated in the Jr. Saltdogs U6 tball league this summer.   Play it Again Sports sponsored his team.  To be able to participate kids had to be 5 by April 30 so Ralph was on the young side but competed comparable to the other kids on his team meaning some games were better than others.  He was paired with 11 other boys; some were also going into kindergarten, others had already finished kindergarten.   By some luck one teammate was also a classmate at Fingerprints so it was good to see a familiar face.    His team played thirteen games during a span of roughly 7 weeks.  Thirteen games plus a few weeks of practices before the games started is a lot for anyone, let alone a 5-year-old AND his parents!  I am not sure what the team's record was, some teams were definitely better and others seemed a little more similar in skills to Ralph's team.

All in all, Ralph had a good time and learned a few things along the way.