Celebrating Independence Day Part One: The Kid Parade

This year I only had one kid left for the morning Kid Parade.  It was kind of sad, but not too sad, because let me tell you, age four is pretty much the prime age to appreciate every aspect of the kid parade.  Mr. TOF was highly anticipating parade day because he helped me deliver 150 flyers to neighborhood houses two days before the parade.  He could talk about hardly anything else in the meantime.

We were up early on parade day so that we had time to run to the grocery store to purchase two balloons for his bike.  Patriotic balloons were his choice of decoration, and we scrounged around in the basement until we found The Banana’s flag that she picked out last year to put on the front of his bike.  He was pleased with the effect, very pleased.  He spent about an hour practicing for the parade on the front sidewalk by our house.

Soon it was time to run down to the corner to help with some last minute things at the refreshment table, and the act of barricading the street.

This year we had a bag piper at the parade!  He was amazing, and it added so much!  I cannot tell you how excited I was that he was brave enough to play.  I LOVE bagpipes.

Here’s Mr. TOF in his element.  He loves pedaling his bike.  He loves balloons.  He loves parades.  He also loves having his face painted like a cat, courtesy of some neighborhood teenagers, and it wouldn’t be parade day without an obligatory ice cream cone.  It’s pretty much the only day of the year a grown up hands you an ice cream cone at 10:30 a.m.