Fourth of July

The night before the Fourth, we bundled up, packed some treats, and walked to the water, close to where we live to catch some fireworks.  The water is directly across from the Oakland Coliseum, so we caught the A's fireworks show after the night game. Gabriela wasn't nearly as petrified as she was the first time, but she still insisted on covering her ears.  The fireworks were pretty amazing. 

Even though they were very late, it was totally worth it.

Alameda has a giant 4th of July parade - they even say it's one of the biggest in the country.  So, we knew we couldn't miss it.  We packed up snacks and drinks, got sunscreened up, and walked downtown to find a spot to watch.  We arrived just in time for the beginning.

 Gabriela stood and watched for a little while, until Daddy got her chair out for her.  Don't you just love her dress??? Nana made it for her.

 Gabriela was very excited to see Santa ride by during the parade.  She excitedly waved at him.

 Lane liked seeing the World War II jeeps

Gabriela was also a fan of the mermaids

 Yay! The American Red Cross!  It was nice seeing them participate in the parade.

 

There was no shortage of unusual vehicles parading down Park Street.

 Yes, the Mexican flag in the 4th of July Parade.  These guys were pretty cool.  The horses were prancing and skipping and dancing. I'd never seen such fancy horse footwork before then.

 

These guys just added a horse to the front of their bike. There were a ton of bike riders in the parade.  Making me long for a little beach cruiser of my own.

 

If the whole bike and horse thing doesn't work out, you can always ride a bull.  

I've never seen THAT before!

  

Gabriela sat and watched the whole parade intently.  She was a little bummed because people kept passing out candy and other goodies, and they just kept skipping her. When she finally got something it was this enormous blue lollipop that mysteriously disappeared before she finished it.  

 Easton napped through much of the parade, but he woke up to catch some of it.  He even watched from the stroller - he never spends much time there.

See, I told you there were a bunch of strange "vehicles" in the parade!

 Pretty much anyone can be in the parade. This float was for the "Alameda Dance Party" and there was another float for people advertising their block, how awesome it was, and inviting everyone to come attend their block party later that afternoon.

  Um, how could you not have a float for Zombie Vixens From Hell?!?  Lane really wants to see this show now ;)

 

We met Adam and Stephanie at the parade.  Just check out how darling Thomas is, all dressed up for the Fourth!

 

After the parade, we joined Adam and Stephanie, as well as some other friends for a bbq potluck.  

There were other festivities that I thought we might check out later that afternoon, but here's what my lap looked like at 7pm that night. 

What a treat it was to have Lane home in the middle of the week with us. The weather was gorgeous and we had a wonderful time in our cute little town.