Fourth of July Fun

We had an awesome 4th of July! We went to the Yorkville parade bright and early. It was so much fun to watch Lorelei really interact and enjoy it so much more this year. She also was very interested in the candy tossing, but we were obviously rookies as we had no bag for her to collect everything she picked up. Turns out she had a great solution for that problem: just eat it all! (Okay, not all, we managed to fill a lot of pockets to get some home).

After the parade and a solid nap, we met up with some friends for a pool party and BBQ. Lorelei has become a very confident swimmer in the last week as we have graciously accepted several pool party invites. She insisted on jumping off the diving board this afternoon, (I'm both very proud of my little fish and totally horrified by her fearlessness). She also proclaimed several times in her tiny but mighty voice, "I'm going swimming by myself!" It will be a long, long time, maybe a lifetime, before these two former lifeguards will let this child swim "by herself" but I'm trying to appreciate her confidence and typical 2-year-old independent streak.

We were all pretty whipped by the time we got home. Todd and I sat on the patio and took in some really awesome fireworks displays from across the field, and our neighbors, once again, did not disappoint. They were incredibly loud and Lorelei was still tossing in bed, so we sneaked her down to enjoy some of the show with us. She was very good and luckily, went right back to sleep when it was all over. If we're lucky, we all might get to sleep in a little bit tomorrow morning! Happy 4th!  

Jump #2: She was a little nervous and squeezed her eyes shut hoping to just walk off and have Daddy catch!