Leesburg Parade / Backyard fireworks

We kicked off July 4th with the Leesburg parade. Kel, Matt, Kayla and Ryan came too and we just might have to make it an annual event. We got a great spot towards the end of the parade (in the shade I might add) and the kids loved seeing all the fire engines, motorcycles, Corvettes and more. Vivi struggled a bit, since it was during her usual nap time, but she pushed through and stayed awake for most of it.

After the parade, we walked a few streets into Leesburg and had lunch at Doner Bistro, a cute little German eatery.
Naps followed for some, and then it was over to Kel & Matt's for another BBQ. Ben brought the fireworks. The kids watched as Matt and Ben set off some small fireworks in the backyard (luckily there were only minor burns to portions of Matt's grass).

You can totally tell in the bottom right picture of this collage that Vivi is thinking "Why the heck are you letting 2 & 3-yr olds do sparklers next to me in this Exersaucer??? Are you nuts?!" I can assure you that we were right there next to them as they did them and no one got hurt. (Well, except for when Kayla and Owen both touched the stick after it burned out. Nothing a little cold water can't fix!)

We let the kids do some sparklers after dinner then we headed inside for a break from the heat and some strawberry shortcake for dessert. We turned on the DC fireworks coverage on TV and the babies went to sleep while Kayla and Owen played. We tried to make it to watch the Ashburn fireworks, but we were all so tired that we called it a night after setting off a few more in the backyard. It was a very fun Fourth weekend and we thank Kel and Matt for hosting twice. :)