4OJ Family, Friends and FUN - Chapter 2- The parade

I was just chillaxing and people watching while I waited for the rest of the fam and some BFF's to join me at the parade. I love people watching. I am so amused by other's antics and just plain observing human behavior. We had quite the, uh, er, unusual group set up to the north of us.....I could tell this was going to be interesting!

I had stopped at the Sev, to reward myself with my big ole diet coke with shots of vanilla and plenty of snacks to enjoy during the parade. So I settled in to stuff my face with powdered sugar donuts and suck down my beverage. Blissfully unaware of what lied ahead.

C and Sissy got there first. She arrived crying hysterically! Seems that the little princess is TERRIFIED of the snappers. And since that is all the kids do while waiting for the parade to start, and they had to wade their way through the gazillions of kids on the sidewalk throwing them at people's feet, she was traumatized before they even got to our spot!

Hysterics really isn't the word for it. I've never seen anything like it in the world! And since there were snaps going off all around us All.THE.TIME., she was inconsolable. I held her and carried her back away from the seats, down a driveway and tried to talk to her and calm her down. Let's see, tried that with a terrified two-year old? Nope. Not happening. No talky - just screaming, crying, and clinging for dear life.

Finally Poppa took to her to the nearby car, climbed in, rolled up the windows and shut out the noise. She could see things but not have to hear them. That was genius of him! We had just gotten to the point of trying to decide whether or not we should take her home and stop any further traumatization or stick it out and help her overcome her fears. His taking her to the car, was kind of a compromise.

The parade started, the screaming fire trucks, the guns going off and the major noise makers went by. About 10 minutes in, when things had settled down, Poppa brought her back out to our seats and she was a changed girl. Gone was the hysterical, terrified, ready to climb out of her own skin toddler, and in her place was a darling, bubbly, give me something to snack on charmer.

She loved the "princesses" on the floats, the horsies and the candy being tossed. However, hands down, her favorites were the fourwheelers that came up and down the parade route doing stunts. She loves our fourwheeler and motorcycles and she couldn't get enough of watching these guys do their crazy stunts! She loved the bands and danced along, enjoyed her treats and waved her little American Flag.

Our BFF's the "Smiley's" join us every year, and she even would sit with W and share treats


Our stake was asked to enter a float in the Days of 47 parade on the 24th and they figured they might as well have it in this parade too. I wished I could have gotten better pictures, because some dear BFF's were part of the committee, and I am here to tell you, they spent HOURS. HOURS! It was amazing!


Once the parade wrapped up, Sissy and I walked home, while the boys hauled away the canopy and chairs. Once we got past Sissy's fears, it was a blast. I would like to however, apologize to anyone within hearing range of her screams. I realize that no one wants to come to a parade and listen to a toddler wail and carry on. Thanks for being patient.

And to the uh, er, interesting group to our north? Yeah, you. The dude who had to have been 36 but acted like an 8 year old? You guys that continued to throw the snappers and then watch Sissy have a come-apart? The ones who shrugged when your Grandma asked you to stop for the baby's sake? Well, one day, you will have a two year old, and I hope someone sitting next to you at the parade will be a little kinder. I realize that the snappers are the coolest thing to hit the ground since, well, I don't know since what. And I also realize that a scared toddler isn't your problem. It's your holiday too, for crying out loud, and no one needs to take away from your fun. Snappers and parades go hand in hand - jeez. I get that, so I am hereby apologizing if her screams took away from your fun in any way.

Which brings me to thoughts of next year...... Will she have overcome her fear of the snappers? Will she be interested in more than just the "morcycus"? Will she actually BE in the parade as one of the tiny little dancer girl groups?
Prolly not. I think we can see a future of motocross racing for our girl. 'Sokay by us! Chicks on bikes are hawt!