Memorial Day Weekend 2019

We kinda have a plan every Memorial Day weekend. We start off the Saturday by going to our neighbors' barbecue. Those people know how to party. The weather was perfect, and we ended up staying for four-ish hours while the kids played with our neighbors' grandkids, alternating their fun water table and tractor toys and then coming to our yard to jump on the trampoline and play in the sandbox. After four hours, I had to come in and lie down and take a rest. But the rest of the party attenders always stay well into the night, sometimes finally ending things around 2 am. 2 am is right about when I'm interrupting my REM cycle yet AGAIN in order to take my fourth potty break of the night. I'm a real party animal.

And then Sunday, we of course go to church.

I played the organ for the hymns, as well as the piano in order to accompany a special musical number. I feel like a T-Rex when I play either instrument because my arms barely stretch over my belly. I was really struggling, and several people noticed. And I got a couple of comments about my waddling. Which is also accurate. You know how, in the olden days, the women would go into seclusion for the last several weeks? I need to be a part of that plan. Where do I sign up?

Monday morning, we dressed in our reds, whites and blues and headed to our town's teeny tiny Memorial Day parade. It lasts about 25ish minutes, and we can walk to it.

We always park it in front of the old post office that was flooded a decade ago and never reopened, which is across the street from the old coin shop, dry cleaners and comic book store.

I love Whippany, New Jersey. It's such a nice small town.

As always, we walked down with our neighbors. Not the BBQ neighbors, but the neighbors from the other side.

I'm just going to go ahead and count these photos as my "maternity photo shoot" and call it good.

As always, I cried through the whole thing. Every Americana song, every Sousa march, every everything.

The bagpipers always bring a tear to my eyes.

I always enjoy seeing our city council walk by. Because I always look for that guy's hair.

I never cry more than when some veterans drive by.

 But this year, I also cried at the volunteer firefighters, the local T-ball and dance teams, as well as the Cub, Boy, and Girl Scout troops. I was just this pregnant, patriotic blubbering mess.

And of course, seeing our neighbor's daughter on the trombone in the local high school marching band is a huge highlight, and I screamed like a banshee.

One-third of our high school is in the marching band. It's really cool.

We usually follow the parade to the American Legion down the street so that we can hear the names of each veteran casualty from our hometown read and a bell rung in their honor, but I just couldn't handle any more walking, so we went home.

We had a leisurely day of reading and napping and movie-watching, and then for dinner, Dan hooked up the hose to the trampoline so the kids could jump on it as he also grilled burgers and hot dogs. We ate outside, and it was really blissful. Here's a moment of the girls I caught where they were sharing a chair and eating a chocolate ice cream cone (June) and a strawberry popsicle (Gwen). It made me very excited for summer and no school and no homework and no screaming to get everyone out the door for the bus at 8:30. Not that I ever scream. But I want those mothers who do scream to get the break they deserve.

It's been a bit hard for me to jump back into normal life after such a nice weekend. 

But today, I managed to do something new to June's hair. (New-ish? Have I done this before?)

And she and Gwen are matchy match in their dresses, and they love it and I love it, and I hope they always love it because I always will.

And I took Gwen and Harris on errands this morning, and we ended at the library where they could play computer games and then Gwen could color while Harris played with his favorite stuffed animal they have, this white dog.

Here he is stuffing the dog's tail into the "No Eating" sign from the table. This is why we can't get a dog.

I may not actually be in the picture, but I'm pretty well represented by Tigger there. That's how I look most of the time these days.

And yes, that's our trick or treat/library bag.

The End.