And the Streets Were Lined with Candy

Last weekend we attended our town's annual 4th of July Parade.

Or as it is known to the townies, "The Horribles Parade."

Or as it is known in our home, "The Candy Parade."

This parade seems to have nothing to do with Independence Day or anything Horrible but there is a lot of candy, so that last moniker is probably the most fitting.

In this parade, the town's children and their families dress up in outlandish costumes and compete for prizes. There were lobstermen and princesses. A couple of kids with bald-head wigs covered in marbles (geddit? marble-head!) and lots of references to our recent spate of rain.

In addition to the costumes, many of the entrants toss candy into the crowd. Lots of candy. And some pretty good candy, too.

Sure, there are your hard candies (peppermint drops and butterscotches) that crack into a thousand pieces as they hit the pavement. But lots of families were throwing out Tootsie Rolls and Hershey's Kisses. Hell, I'd even dive into the street for those!

And that is exactly what all of the town's children who were not marching in the parade were eager to do. I was relieved that my child was not the only one chanting, "Candy! Candy! Candy!" while waiting for the parade to begin.

Unfortunately for my little cherubs (and perhaps fortunately for their teeth) we got stuck behind a small army of older elementary age boys who were extremely aggressive in their candy acquisition. At one point, I remember thinking they were dangerously close to attacking the parade entrants and simply taking the candy.

But my girls were able to scrounge a few pieces. Chelsea was ecstatic not only to be allowed to dart into the street but to pick up candy from the ground. We even managed to drop a piece in front of Savannah (and hold back her ferocious candy-foraging sister) so she could pick one up, too.

My favorite part was when one particularly generous and patient teenage boy came over to the girls and handed them each a little peanut butter cup.

Which I promptly shoved into my pocket and later ate.

Viva The Candy Parade! I'll miss you and your delicious free candy.



If you look on the far bottom right at 15 seconds, you'll see a little someone in a red tank top... that's Chelsea!
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Road Trip

We made it to Maine!

And all it took was 7 hours, 2 gas stops, one Dunks run, 3 bags of mini chocolate chip cookies, and 1.5 hours in Target!

Not bad, eh?

Here's bad.

What we brought with us:

2 suitcases of clothes
1 laundry basket of dirty clothes
high chair
potty (at least we remembered it! unlike last time...)
potty seat for toilet
pack 'n play
3 sleeping bags
3 pillows
1 box of non-perishable food
1 box of books
bag 'o trains
box of big legos
bag of little legos
small riding toy
roller skates
helmet
knee pads
elbow freaking pads
2 stacking toys
1 pull toy
1 stuffed tiger
1 baby doll
1 puzzle
1 lunch box full of crayons
5 coloring books
1 expandable tunnel
sippy cups
plastic cups
kids utensils
1 very sharp knife
bath towels
kitchen towels
washcloths
toilet paper
paper towels
laundry soap
2 strollers
and a partridge in a pear tree.

And during our 1.5 hours at Target? We bought Chelsea a Thomas bike.

We've only been here for 6 hours. They've already played with everything.

Except the tunnel.

And the very sharp knife.
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The Rainn Wilson Effect

Yes, I know this is not Rainn Wilson. This is Pau. Rainn hasn't visited Kendra... yet.

You know you're pretty awesome when...

-Miley Cyrus sends you a video text...

-Anna-Sophia Robb comes to visit you...

-You're hangin' out with Pau Gasol of the LA Lakers...

-You make it in both the LA newspaper and the local news...

But when Rainn Wilson starts tweeting about you?

That's when even your cousin's stupid little blog starts to get an insane amount of hits for a post about your bracelets!

Fact: Rainn Wilson ROCKS.
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Crybaby

Things that have made me cry in the past week, in reverse chronological order:

-Getting hit on the bridge of the nose by baby holding a wooden train

-Seeing a grandfather cry when his granddaughter got a ticket to Vegas on "So You Think You Can Dance"

-The opening sequence of the new Star Trek movie

-Reading an email from a friend whose father just found out he may only have 6 months to live

-Listening to Flo-Rida on the radio and trying to sing along with Jeremy's lyrics

-George and Izzie all dressed up at the end of the Grey's Anatomy season finale

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Future Coupon Queen

Chelsea: "Mommy, would you like to buy one of these?" (holding up marker caps on her fingertips, Freddy Krueger style)

Me: (trying to check my email) "No, thank you, honey. Not right now."

Chelsea: "But Mommy, you need to buy dem! Dey are only on sale today!"
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Sisters

I made a goal to take a picture of the girls together every day for a month. Once I realized it was too expensive to do that using the camera in my phone, the plan lasted for about a week. Here are a few of their captured adventures.

Sittin'

Smilin'

Ridin'

Sharin'

Cuddlin'

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I Know You Have Two Dollars

This is my cousin, Kendra.

She's 13. This February, she was diagnosed with liver cancer (hence the radical, totally awesome hair-cut).

She and a friend designed these bracelets:

They say "Fact: I can beat this." (They are big fans of The Office. Who knew?) Each bracelet costs $2. That's less than a latte at Starbucks, people. They come in adult and teen size. And money from their sale supports children's cancer research.

I'm asking you to send me two dollars. In return for this minuscule investment, you will receive:

-a beautiful bracelet

-pride in knowing you are supporting an insanely good cause

-my abundant gratitude

If you have two dollars (c'mon! of course you have two dollars!!!) leave a comment here or send me an email: heidislong AT yahoo DOT com.

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