Flags, Fun and Fireworks

Every July 4th, Americans celebrate their independence from the British, they chose this date in particular since the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.  Of course, I am British, and proud of it, however, America is now my home and has been for the past 13 years, my husband, daughter and half of my extended family is American, and so what else can I do but join in the celebrations, after all, "when in Rome".

There is a town near our home, that just happens to be called Independence, and they  hold a celebratory parade and firework event every July 4th.  We hadn't been to the parade before, but it was a beautiful day, and now that Amelia's a little older we decided to go.  It was so much fun, we all wore patriotic coloured clothes, and took flags to wave (at least it's the same colour as the British flag).  Amelia was so excited to see the floats, and especially excited when she found out that they threw out free candy for the children, Matthew had to get a teeny bit protective when the kids next to us began to invade his little girls territory, what a sweet daddy he is.

Here we are waiting for the parade to start, we found a perfect shady spot in front of Central High School.

There were so many fun things to see in the parade, including clowns...

The Dallas Fire Truck, from our home town...

cute Dalmatian dogs walking alongside the fire trucks...

Smokey the bear, he's the one that warns us about fire danger, especially in the forests...

Even Ronald McDonald came, Amelia was so excited to see him...

Look at those rosy cheeks, I was glad that I completely covered her in Sunscreen to protect her pale complexion.

I had to take a photo of the car's that were fitted with hydraulics...

After the parade, we went home so that Amelia could take a nap, after all, it was going to be a late night and we wanted a happy daughter, not a grouchy one.  

We headed back to Independence around 8:00 pm, after stopping at Subway to grab dinner.  There were a lot of people and the atmosphere was great, carnival rides, fabulous smells that you only find at the fair, and lots of music and entertainment.  As we waited for the fireworks, I took Amelia for a walk, she headed right for the amphitheater,  where the live band was playing and before I knew it, she was pulling my hand onto the concrete dance floor.  Although I was nervous about the tons of people who were sat around watching, it was lovely to dance with my girl and seeing her so full of joy made it all worthwhile.

Finally it was 10 o'clock and time for the fireworks to start, after playing the USA's National Anthem, they began, and lasted for probably a half  hour, Amelia was snuggled up in her blanket to keep her warm, but held her flag the whole time.

Looks like daddy is really enjoying the fireworks.

It was a great family day out, and hey the Brits are back!!!