Celebrating the 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!!

What a fun day we had this year! It might be something about living in a small town that make me want to participate and check out all these activities that they have to offer. We have never been to any parade when we lived in Florida. Don't know why.. Maybe now that we have kids we want them to experience different things growing up. Or maybe the small town has its own charm that attracts us more..

Today we woke up earlier than our usual routine for a holiday. We headed out to downtown Cumming again. This time it was for the 4th of July parade. And it wasn't just a typical parade. It was the Steam Engines parade. Anyone who knows Mr. Z knows that he is obsessed with steam engine. He would have a blast here.

We got there right in time to catch the beginning of the parade. I have had several tips regarding the noise and yup.. It's L-O-U-D.. We didn't get there in time to get the ear plugs. But we brought with us one of Mr. Rojo headset. It did help Miss J. Ironically, Mr. Z didn't seem to mind the noise at all.

The parade was really long. I was amazed at how many steam engines participated. Each one has its own style. Some look so new. You will think they just roll it out of the dealership. Some look so old and you will think that they just come straight from the field. I think I enjoyed seeing it as much as the kids.

There were other types of engine in the parade as well. There were Golf cart, horse carriage, tractors and Firetrucks. One of the firetruck was an antique firetruck from 1937! How neat is that!

My favorite one has to be this pink engine. It's not the steam engine but who can resist the pink tractor! We need more of these cute color tractors on the field. Imagine how the cows would react if they see pink tractor. :)

If you ask my kids what they did on the 4th, they will say.. getting a lot of candies.. Candies were thrown almost constantly. Make sure you look and duck when you see it coming. These little piece of sugar are a real weapon. Mr. Rojo got hit a few times. :)

By 11:30am, we were done. It was a great day in Cumming. We were tired and ready for a nap. But.. no.. we didn't nap.. We headed out again to the Outlet mall for some shopping therapy. I wouldn't think we were in retail troubles seeing how many people shop there. Must be tourists!

So how was your 4th of July? Let me know what fun things you did with your family.