It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I know that song was written about Christmas, but for me, the 24th of July in Monroe is the real most wonderful time of the year.

We started on Thursday with the 3-on-3 Basketball competition. I had 4 cousins participating, and didn't get to watch a single game due to a troublesome three-year-old.

The next day we had the children's parade- the only thing I managed to snap a picture of. Here is Josh and his cousin at the beginning of the parade.



Any other picture of Josh would have been from way behind him. Because after about 10 yards of him riding SO slow that he was causing a traffic jam around him, I told him to "ride fast like Lightning McQueen" (since he has a Lightning McQueen bike). Big mistake. HUGE. Because then I spent the rest of the parade trying to catch up with him while at the same time keeping an eye on the other cousins who were with us. So instead of stopping so Grandma and Grandpa could see us, I was sprinting down Main Street after my son, who was following a group of kids he didn't know at the very front of the parade. The joys of motherhood, right?
After the parade was the city BBQ. Man- I love the meat they serve. So delicious. Of course, the spices are top secret, so this is the only time you can get the yummy beef. The baked beans are pretty delicious too. Yum. After the BBQ, we had a get-together with some high school friends. It was great to see friends.
The next morning was the Monroe Milk Run. My mom is in charge of the race, so my parents (and Steve) headed out in the wee hours of the morning. I stayed home with the kids, feeling like a heel for not helping out. I probably would have just slept through the whole thing, if not for the good ol' cannonade. Note to self: the 6 AM cannonade is WAY louder when the windows are open.
Following the race was the parade. Then the festivities on the park. Steve was doing his caricature sketch booth, so I got to herd the two kids around. In the 1/2 second it took me to put down the chair I was carrying, Josh managed to disappear into the crowd at the park. Luckily I had my parents and Steve's parents to help me look for him, as well as a friend who spotted him running around yelling "I need my mommy!" So he wasn't missing for more that a couple minutes. After discussing how he was scared and I was scared because he ran off, we stuck together for the rest of the time.
We finished off the night with a concert and fireworks. I love Monroe City's fireworks because they light them from the hill that is right next to the football field where we are watching them- so they are HUGE. Good times. Abby slept right through the fireworks, just like she did on the 4th of July. And Josh loved them.
Only 357 days until the next 24th of July. :) Maybe next year I'll actually take some pictures.