4th of July Weekend

Friday we headed over to the Neumann's for some backyard fun with Emma and Johnny.On Saturday we went to the Cannon Valley Fair with the Neumanns. Evan, Emma and Johnny all got to ride on ponies - they were so excited!"Hey...penguins don't belong in a petting zoo!" The petting zoo was actually pretty awesome - the kids got to hold the baby chicks and ducks and the animals were really friendly. The penguins I'm not so sure about...Oh course, we had to check out the kiddie rides. All three kiddos fit on this one. Is it a jet-ski? Or is it a wave-runner? Only Jeremy knows the difference. (Side note: When I accidentally call Evan "kiddo" he exclaims "Mom, I'm NOT a kiddo - I'm a BIG BOY.")On Saturday night we headed over to the Zimmerman's annual 4th of July party. The fireworks were great! Evan was a little freaked out but took it like a champ once he figures out how to cover his ears. Sandy made Evan a bug box and he caught a dozen penny toads in it, which we released into our own yard once we got home (below).Sunday afternoon we went to visit the Eckhoffs for their annual 4th of July party. No, we didn't make Jeremy eat at the kiddie table - he was just chaperoning. Say "Cheese!"Can you tell Melissa is a teacher? Before she got involved the kids were all hopped up on sugar, running a muck in the yard. She calmed them down and soon had them organized for an impromptu yard game. Go Melissa!What a beautiful sunset! The City of Rochester fireworks were cancelled for the night due to rain earlier in the day (who knew it took 7 hours to set up the show?) but we didn't mind. The firework display from the Eckhoff's back deck was just as good! There was some serious neighborhood competition going on (friendly, of course!)