Feeling a Little Green

If you know anything about my husband, he loves any holiday where he can dress up like a fool and get away with it.  St. Patrick's Day is one of the holidays - he thinks he's Irish and feels a little green.

This year we made it to the St. Patrick's Day parade in a nearby city (we skipped last year because of weather).  Drew loves parades and all the free loot he gets thrown at him.

This year we changed up our seating location - we usually sit right at the start of the parade, and this year we moved to the other side of the bridge more toward the staging area.  So while we weren't on the official parade route (we missed the first 3 entries) we still had an awesome spot.  Time was of the essence - we had to pack up quickly and get Drew to his T-ball game immediately following.

The first few things we missed were the police and fire kicking off the parade, but we managed to snap a photo with Daddy and Drew in front of the firetruck while they were still staging.

But once we got through the first few entries, we saw a steady stream of participants. 

Drew always loves the Geico gecko.

What's a parade without a few clowns...

And I really like this shot.

 ... I believe he was trying to score more freebies.

Of course Dave got dressed up for the occasion  - would you expect anything else?  While Dave had his photo snapped about a dozen times by various reporters and was interviewed briefly by one, sadly he didn't make the paper this year.  (He and Drew made it the first year we went to the parade when Drew was 2).

And here's a short story before heading to the next picture.  Before the parade started Dave and I were talking about the Rose Parade we saw 6 years ago before Drew was born, and how George Lucas was the Grand Marshal and we saw Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers.  Drew was so excited about that and was promised to see pictures/videos of that later.

And then we saw this at the end of the parade...

Oh. My. Gosh. Did I have an excited 5 year old!  He's in love with anything Star Wars right now (thanks to Angry Birds Star Wars).

Dave captured this video on his cell phone as the Empire walked by:


After the parade we hustled home to get ready for T-ball and a Birthday Party. 

Sunday after church, on the actual holiday, we continued our St. Patty's crawl by heading back for the annual Festival.  We like strolling through the vendors and seeing what's out there - with a beer or two in hand - and Drew likes going for the rides.

This was the first time we've lived here and the weather was amazing for the weekend - so that meant it was even more crowded than years past.  But as always we had a good time - until they started running out of beer..... party foul.

Happy 4th of July

We want to wish all of you a wonderful, safe and pleasant 4th of July holiday.  This morning we are watching the annual Danville Parade - we "camped" out yesterday for about 2 hours to hold our little piece of "real estate".  This happens to be the same place we've called home for the 4th of July for the past 4 years.

Camping out this year I had some company - Dave and Drew braved the warm temperatures.

Enjoy the long holiday weekend and we hope you all manage to stay cool.

Our Little Drummer Boy

Yes another post from the Parade - I forgot about putting this one in the other posts.  Oops.

Drew is our own little Drummer boy:



And Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In the News...

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Dave was quite the celebrity at the Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Well here's the proof we saw in the TriValley Herald on Sunday, March 14.

Yes that would be my husband, son, Mason and Troy behind them.  Oh and Mr. Mike Wazowski (otherwise known as Brian) bending down behind them.

We watched the news all night on Saturday and my clown husband never made the news.  In fact they showed a view just beyond us!  (Were the glasses a bit much for family news?)

Thanks to Brian for letting us know about the TriValley Herald.  Since we get the Times - and while the papers are affiliated - we didn't see the same thing.

So this is the first time Drew's made it in the news!  Dave has been around that block a few times...

St. Paddy's Day Comes Early

Warning - be prepared for a very photo heavy post!
 
What a perfect weekend for an early St. Patrick's Day celebration - the sun was shining, the temperature was just right - and the kids were ready to rock and roll!

On Saturday we ventured out for the second year to the Dublin St. Paddy's Day parade with Ms. Stephanie, Brian, Mason and Troy.  It was so much better this year - not only because it there were more entries, but because we weren't freezing our butts off!

Since this is going to be pretty photo heavy, I'll spare you from all the reading....

Drew's favorite commercial at the moment - Geiko, the Gecko gives Drew a High Five.

Which one is supposed to be the clown?

And Dave was approached by a parade member for a hug.  Then they interviewed him for their YouTube campaign.

Well that wasn't the only media attention.  Dave's attire stood out to the media as well.  Both from the local CBS affiliate and the local paper.  Here I'm catching them on camera.

After the parade was over we headed down the street to the St. Patrick's Day festival.  We instantly headed over to the rides where Drew was excited to join Mason and Troy in the cars.

But once the ride started, and the car went up and down rather quickly he wasn't so sure anymore.

After trying to scope out a few more not-so-scary rides, Drew finally settled on the teacups with Daddy.  Although once he got on he was no longer so excited.

We made our exit in the early afternoon in hopes of Drew getting a nap in - no luck there.  The good news is that Daylight Savings was starting, so the extra hour of sleep hopefully means bedtime will go rather easily.

One final parting shot for you - what's St. Patrick's Day without a leprechaun?

4th of July Festivities - Pt. 1 of 2

We had so much fun this past 4th of July - and of course that means pictures galore. Rather than posting them all in one blog, I will separate them, giving you double your pleasure.

First up - the Danville Parade.

Since Dave and I moved back up to the Bay Area five years ago, we've come to the Danville Town Parade held every 4th of July. According to their website, it attracts up to 40,000 visitors (which is pretty good since the town has a population of a little more than 43,000 people).

There were 12 of us who all sat together this year - Drew and I, Grammy & GrampC, The Berta four, and the Nejib 4. Daddy was home sick, VERY reluctantly.

We all met at my friend Lisa's house, who lives within walking distance of the spot she and I camped out for the day before. (It's serious business, this Danville parade. If you want pristine parade route "parking" you need to get there plenty early to save your seats.)

Drew was happy getting towed to the parade...


And here's the wagon brigade headed from Lisa's house to the parade route.

From L-R: Emily, Lisa, Troy, Stephanie, Trevor (pulling the cooler up ahead), Drew, GrampC, Grammy (not picture Mason, Brian, & Mike who were all using the potty one last time).

Here we are curbside just before the parade starts...


And one of the creatures in the parade had his sights set on Drew...




















And last but not least, my favorite picture from the day.


Up next - the remainder of our day. Pool parties, BBQ & Fireworks.

This Land is Your Land...

Happy 4th of July to all of our friends and family! We hope you are enjoying your holiday with parades, BBQ's, family and fireworks. While we're busy enjoying ours and making new memories, I wanted to share a few pictures from last 4th of July - where we enjoyed a local town parade. Oh, Drew was 9 Months old for those that may have started throwing a few back already and don't want to do the math...



Expect to see much of the same from this year's parade. New pictures will be posted Monday.