We headed into Manassas around 6pm on the 4th of July to see what sort of shindig they were throwing. The fireworks didn’t start until 9pm, and by then we planned to be back home with the little ones in bed. They’re too young for fireworks anyway, the noise would likely scare them too much.

So we just went into town to see what was up. It was at the pavilion with the train caboose, which is always a hit with the kids even with nothing else, so we knew they’d have fun. We were still at home, getting ready to go when a thunderstorm hit, but we decided to go anyway, counting on the storm passing quickly. It gave the kids an excuse to wear their rain boots and carry their umbrellas, something which I beleive they dream about secretly and never actually get to do, so they were tickled pink, Jocelyn especially. Ethan was too, but he contains it better now, where Jocelyn shouts her glee to all the world.

We arrived, and started heading to the moon bounce, Ethan with me, and Jocelyn with James. We went through a parking lot full of booths and trailers selling various food items and hawking random goods and Ethan and I were a ways ahead of James and Jocelyn. I looked back to find them and saw the pair of them standing facing a trailer selling hotdogs and lemonade. EVERY person inside was sticking their head out the window looking and talking to Jocelyn. Her umbrella is yellow and black (it goes with her bumblebee camp chair) and her rain boots are pink and blue with little eyes and antennae sticking up on the toes, and she takes great glee in finding a puddle and then jumping right smack in the middle of it. All the hot dog folks were oohing and awwwwing about how darling she was with her cute umbrella and rain boots. She took in in stride as her due (I’m so PRETTY!) and probably made that shy-and-oh-so-cute face back at them. This seemed to be the theme of the event everywhere we went. Jocelyn and Ethan getting all the “AWWWWWW, how CUTE!” comments wherever they went in their rain boots and umbrellas. Ethan’s boots are blue and white striped, and his umbrella is red with black polka dots on it, with eyes and antennae for a lady bug (it goes with his lady bug camp chair).

They had fun in the moon bounce until it got too crowded and scary, then we went and took a ride on a trailer pulled behind a tractor, which Ethan declared many times, “AWESOME!” saw a fire engine and a load of policemen and women (some on MOTORCYCLES), but Ethan never wanted to go talk to any of them. Ethan and James watched the rock climbing on a big climbing wall that was erected.

Mostly folks were staking out their “spot” with blankets, coolers, camp chairs to watch the fireworks that would be displayed later that night, but we had fun and then left for home where the kids passed out immediately on going to bed.

I wish we’d brought our camera.