Hooray for the Red, White and Blue!

Remember this picture?

This is a photo of Molly on the day she was sworn in as an American at the American Consulate in Guangzhou, China (April 13, 2007). She was still unsure about having us as her parents. Understanding that she was becoming an American citizen didn't even enter her mind.

l

Here she is two years later:

I still don't think she completely understands what it means to be an American, but she sure is proud that she is one. Don't get me wrong, she is extremely proud of being Chinese as well, but she knows that she now lives in the good ol' USA and that she is an American.

l

Molly stood up on her chair on the morning of the 4th and said, "Look Mommy, I'm that green statue guy with the pointy things on his head." (She saw a picture of the Statue of Liberty on the front page of the news paper) Um, okay. Me, always the teacher, found it the perfect opportunity to explain the significance of Lady Liberty. And she got it, sort of. As good as any three-year-old's mind can comprehend something that deep and meaningful.

After the brief history lesson, we packed up the lawn chairs and headed to our local parade. Molly was thrilled beyond belief. Parade? Now that she totally gets! Here she is with her Daddy in a prime viewing location:

And then Mom jumps in for the obligatory snapshot:
And of course the traditional family picture sporting our Old Navy tee shirts. I see other peoples' blogs and their kids have on really cute patriotic dresses with matching hair bows. All I get for my kid is a cheap $5 tee shirt. I guess I better work on that for next year.

l
While we were waiting for the parade to begin, we explored the neighborhood a bit and found this miniature statue. Molly though it was great (and she looked awefully cute in this picture, so I am sticking it in this even though it has nothing to do with the 4th of July).

m

That is until she heard the marching band coming down the road. From that point on it was all about the parade, and the candy tossed at her feet from the various floats.

k

Here's the reason why we are able to live in this great nation and celebrate its founding each year: Our Armed Forces. Bless you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

m

One of the benefits of living in a small farming community is that you get nifty entries like this one in your parade:

A little to modern for ya? Well you also get this guy, as well!

l
The rest of the day was filled with parks, BBQs and naps. We had to be prepared for the night time activities. Fireworks!

m

Molly practiced her customary ooohs and aaaahs all day long. She was ready. Unfortunately, the weather was not as cooperative. Despite Tony's summer attire (the guy wears the same outfit at Christmas--he's always hot!), it was actually cool...and there was a chance of rain.

And of course, the chance of rain turned into actual rain right before the fireworks. Ugh! That's okay. We quickly moved to the truck and watched the fireworks from there. That rain ain't gonna dampen our fun!

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Independence Day and Good Bless America!