The Raft

"Look, mama!! It's my fire!"
"WOW"
"Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Mamamamamama!"
"Oooooooooohh"

We took the kids to the Town Fireworks this evening.
Originally we had a sitter lined up (Stina!) but then Jay said "why don't we bring the kids to the fireworks with us?" This struck fear into my heart but if he was willing, who am I to balk?

We had Abby take a nap late in the afternoon (after a morning of "Big Pool") and she slept for more than 3 hours, waking up just before 5. Wyatt napped his normal route and we put him to bed at normal time. Then, we woke him up and loaded up the truck and headed on into town.
Abby was beyond excited, Wyatt looked confused and tired.

We got there and it was a little hectic. Jay was leading the charge, pushing the Double Stroller from spot to spot as I neg'd on each of his proposals. There were about 44 million people there. Lots of nice families, just like us. Lots of townies, toothless goobers and drunken teens. What else can you ask for at a Town Picnic, right?

Things we brought this year: stroller, blanket, drinks and snacks.
Things we will bring next year: Radio Flyer, bigger blanket, chairs, grill and cooler.

So, we got a couple of ice cream cones, dripped them all over ourselves, our stuff and our tiny blanket and waited for the show to begin.

We saw a lot of people we knew (go figure) and we enjoyed our little family unit. Amazing how cozy you can feel on a tiny blanket surrounded by 44 million strangers. It really was so sweet & nice.

At approximately 9:40pm, they turned off the lights and sang the National Anthem then the show began.
We were warned by many friends and strangers that Wyatt would likely cry and hate it and that Abby would likely be frightened by the loud noises. We didn't know what to expect but while Jay was pretty sure Abby would not like the loud noises, I knew she would love them. Wyatt, however, I was certain would be terrified and squirmy.

We were both wrong. Both kids heads were skyward from the first pop, mouths just a little bit ajar, eyes wide with excitement.
They both loved it from the very first bang and shower of color.
It was awesome.

I cannot wait to do this again next year, and the year after that and the year after that... This is why we had kids. This is why we moved to Smalltown, USA. This is what our life is about right now and I don't want to take a second of it for granted.

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As an aside from the delightful family part of this story, I would like to add this:
I had not been to a true fireworks show in years... decades, even.
And hearing the Star Spangled Banner and the watching the explosions in the sky really made me a little misty.
I got the meaning behind the song and the symbolism of the fireworks for what felt like the first time.
Land of the Free. Home of the Brave.
Awesome.