You can't rain on our parade

As you know, Josie loves watching parades and as it turns out, it's even more fun to be IN the parade. We joined our friends at the CFEC (where J takes her classes) to march in the Northside 4th of July parade. It was a blast. The theme of the parade was "Go Green" so we dressed up all our little ones as bugs in "garden" strollers/wagons/etc. Lou got some beautiful fresh wildflowers from Findlay Market that morning, we dressed Josie as a little ladybug, and we were all set.
Here's our little bug posing in her costume and in front of her garden wagon:
This weekend will also go down in history as the time when Josie discovered candy. Well, we made it to almost 2 without the sweet stuff, but all the candy at the parade created quite a monster. Here she is trying to convince Louie that she should have another lollipop.
And then we were off. And then it started raining. It was a constant light drizzle, so certainly not enough to stop the parade, but enough to necessitate Grandma holding an umbrella to protect our little bug. (Thanks Grandma. You're the best!)
In case you didn't notice it in the last picture, Josie was totally passed out within 5 minutes of the parade's start. Something about the steady hum of the wagon down Hamilton Ave and the constant roar of the parade totally lulled her to sleep. It was hilarious! And adorable!
Here is Granddaddy leading our crew on his unicycle that he got out of retirement for this big event. (Grandma and DD were so sweet to join us in the parade. What better way to advertise a "Family Center" than with the whole family?)
And to fit the theme, DD even sported this great flower headband and Grandma wore a rainbow "fairy ring". DD got lots of cheers, high-fives, and fist-bumps from the crowd in addition to more than one "look at that old man on the unicycle". How cool is Granddaddy?
DD pedaled, Grandma held the umbrella, Mama pulled the wagon, Daddy took the photos and passed out candy and fliers, and Josie slipped into a coma.
Then Nelly did the same:
Then we lost little Ellie:
But Andrew just kept clapping away:
Then Josie woke up, just near the end of the parade and at the most busy intersection. Needless to say, our little ladybug was really confused!
The parade ended and the rain really stared coming down. We managed to get in one family photo before ending our big day.
Even after almost an hour nap, Josie was still pretty worn out. After all, looking adorable, getting your picture taken, eating candy, and waving to your "fans" is pretty exhausting.
Really, I can't tell you how much fun this day was. It will certainly stand out as a very special memory for all of us.