Pioneer Days

Every year our town hosts its annual Pioneer Day festivities on August long weekend. Some consider our attempts at a parade to be pathetic (a good third of the parade is antique tractors driving by), but I still enjoy it as much as I did as a kid! I'm one of those super nostalgic, family-oriented people...so there's just something about my whole town gathering on one street that makes me feel...happy. :)

We managed to find our friends Ruth, Simeon, Chloe and Ezra in the crowds. Good times are always better when shared with friends!

My mom and dad got back from their vacation the day before and came to hang out. My dad, of course, immediately stole Josh and they went to relax in the shade. (I realized after this picture that I had my camera on the wrong setting. Hence the lightness of the photo.)

The highlights for Ellie were definitely the horses...

...and the princesses!

But when the big trucks began honking their horns, she began to bawl!

Good thing Nana was there to save the day. I find it super amusing that already, Ellie gawks at princesses and cries at trucks, and Josh ignores the princesses entirely, and BEAMS from ear to ear when the trucks blast their horns. We are most definitely raising two different genders. I love it.

Regan and Uncle Nathan had also joined up with us, and left early due to scary trucks.

Mom and Dad pushed Ellie and Josh on the swings while we waited for traffic to clear. The perfect ending to a wonderful morning!

The rest of the weekend was typical for August long -RAINY. But we did get to the mall for a horse-drawn wagon ride and a chance to see the animals at the petting zoo. It felt downright silly taking pictures in our dinky mall, so there aren't many. :)

Ellie and a peacock.

Josh was pretty fascinated with the chicks. He would have ripped all the hair out had we let him.

Ellie and her long-awaited sucker. The one she caught at the parade was all cracked and broken, so we decided to buy her one at the dollar store. Like all candy, she got really excited about it, had a few licks and then was finished. This mom ain't complaining!