We had a lot of fun celebrating the 4th of July today.  Loretta’s neighborhood had a huge all-day block party, and we attended several of the events with her family.  

The first was a neighborhood parade, which lasted maybe 15 minutes.  All the local kids decorated their bikes, and there were policemen and fire trucks, etc.  This was the first time Lex actually paid attention to a parade, and he kept saying, “ooohhhh.”  It was very cute.

Gabby decorated her bike and rode in the parade:

Not only is it America’s birthday today…it’s also Loretta’s.  So Tim and I surprised her with a birthday cake at our bbq lunch.

The cake was fantastic.  We baked a white cake and then covered it with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Keeping with the red, white and blue patriotic theme, the bottom layer of the cake had strawberries and there were blueberries in another layer.

After the neighborhood bbq, BJ the clown showed up to entertain all the kids.

Lex enjoyed the show:

And he clapped whenever anyone else clapped:

Eventually we headed home and now our tired boy is fast asleep.  I’m sure we’ll all be in bed before any fireworks start tonight.