Annual Boy Torture

Yes, we have lived through another Fourth, and we've done it with style.

We ran over to Ferry Farm for their celebrations, and it was really well done. George Washington spent his childhood on Ferry Farm, which is just across the river here. I was very pleased. The had a tent with a little band going, talking about music history of the area. They had lots of folks in costume to see and talk to. They had weavers, a tent setup to use quills with lemon juice (then go get your "invisible ink" ironed and see what you wrote!), a cooking area, a juggler, and a native American tradesman showing pelts. They had some other tents with costumed people, but we didn't get to them- some were out by where they think they've found the house, and there were cannon demonstrations out there- not a chance of us headed out there. They also had a pavilion with crafts for kids, and facepainting (Joey had himself done as a clown; Andy wasn't interested). Behind that they had all sorts of games set up, and a parachute, and some folks teaching kids how to juggle. They had a couple of food stands, and an ice cream stand. All in all, very nice, and plenty of shade, so a good time had by all. The only problem we had was the dogs- dogs are allowed at Ferry Farm, and folks brought them. Joey is terrified of dogs. We did have a few minutes of "perfect storm" sensory issues (broken comfort toy, just as the cannon went off, just as a big dog walked by) and subsequent meltdown, but we found a quiet spot to calm down, and cheered up when we saw a friend from church.

Andy charmed the juggling lady, Joey learned to bowl, and so we had a fun-filled day at Ferry Farm.

Then we headed out to Grandma's for continued festivities- including the much-anticipated fireworks. The boys had picked out fireworks when we were buying them. We always get them from the Knights of Columbus, who do a lot of good stuff around here. Most anticipated was the new jack-o-lantern firework, which did not disappoint.

There was a huge thunderstorm first. We had the slide up and running when it blew up, but since the boys were pretty tired, having them sit down instead of running about and sliding was probably a good thing. So after a relaxing evening of Boy Videos, duck-duck-goose, and fruit salad, we settled in for the display.

Joey loves fireworks. Yes, he holds his ears, but then, so do I- I hate those whistles. The sparkles and glitter of the sparks really gets him excited, and he cheered and clapped and had a great time. Poor Andy, however... Fourth of July is our annual Torture the Boy Event. He had forgotten how loud fireworks are, so he was all excited, only to have the second firework start popping and whistling, much to his terror. He managed to make it through the show only because Mommy promised to clamp her hands over his ears and sides of his head, while he sat in her lap. The bad news was I didn't get many pictures- its hard to work a camera and hold a child's ears at the same time. The good news is I got to actually watch the fireworks. We only had two we wouldn't buy again- Earthquake The Big One and Laser Dragon. Unicorn Fountain was really nice, and the jack-o-lanterns were the stars of the show.

It was nearly eleven before we got the boys in bed. Naturally, we got some extra minutes to sleep this morning. But not many.

Happy Fourth of July.