Last night we met my sister and her family in Dyersville to see some fireworks. It wasn't until we got there that we realized they were charging admission and there were no carry-ins into the seating area. Umm, seriously? Here we come tromping with our coolers and 50 bags of snack food. So I'm thinking, this is total crap. It's like $3 for a hot dog. I thought fireworks were free!!!
So, we all sat at a picnic table outside the seating area and ate our prepacked dinner (Jimmy John's for John & I; PB&J for the kids). Then we sneakily (and apparently, illegally), stuffed some juiceboxes and cokes into the basket of Dex's stroller with a couple ice packs and covered it with a blanket. Then John took the cooler back to the car. Luckily, I had all my snacks in the diaper bag. I figured once it got nice and busy no one would be patrolling for a contraband juicebox.
We claimed our space with blankets and chairs and our red wagon and then went to play. The reason we like to go to Dyersville is they set up a big field with kids' stuff. They had lots of bounce houses and inflatable slides and a rock climbing wall and all sorts of cool stuff. I think it really helps to have something fun to do while you wait for it to get dark. I can't imagine trying to keep 6 kids entertained on a blanket for like 4 hours.
We had such a great time! The kids loved all the toys. There were some long lines, but the older kids were pretty patient. Quinn however, does not get the concept of a line. He kept running to the front and diving in, whether it was his turn or not. Several times John had to run after him and grab him by the ankle and pull him out! It was pretty funny. He was obviously having a very good time.
After all the rides we went back to our blanket and waited. We fed the kids snacks to keep them reasonable quiet. They had some music playing and it was nice to just sit and relax.
The fireworks were really good this year. They were set to music (my favorite part. They even had a few new types that I've never seen before. Eva laid in my lap and sucked her thumb quietly, just watching. Quinn laid across my chest and kept shouting "another" after every single one. It was hilarious. I think of all the kids he enjoyed them the most. Dex sat in John's lap and just stared at the sky. I was so surprised that we didn't cry because we were really close and things were pretty loud.
Needless to say, we are all a little tired today after such a busy evening.
