Independence Day

My kids were very happy to be back in the United States this Fourth of July.  Charlotte has been telling me for months, “We missed all the fireworks last year, Mom!  We left France after July 4 and before July 14 (French Independence Day), so we didn’t get to see ANY!”  To my kids, this is something of a travesty.

But we managed to make up for it this year.  Charlotte and Jeff had their second 5K race scheduled this morning, so we decided to attend Richwoods’ 5:30 Saturday evening service last night to avoid having to rush to get back to church.  It had a very different feel from the regular Sunday morning worship, but we enjoyed it. 

Afterwards, we swung back by our house to pick up snacks and drinks on the way to Eureka, the county seat, for its annual fireworks display at the lake.  We attended this a couple years ago with the Pugh family, but they were out of town this year, so we were on our own!  We arrived around 8:15, parked, and made our way over the lake with our chairs, blanket, snacks, and baby stroller.  (Things get much more complicated with a little one!)

Here are a couple of pictures before the show began.  Yes, I bought my kids matching shirts this year.

 

At 9:00, a local group of girls sand the National Anthem, and, then, for the next 45 minutes, we watched an impressive display of fireworks over Lake Eureka.  But none of my pictures is as impressive as what we actually saw, so I’ll spare you!

I figured that we would have an hysterical baby for the fireworks, since Jeremy hates loud noises and likes to cry long and loudly when he hears them.  But, again, he surprised me.  He watched the lit-up sky and, when the sky was particularly beautiful, he would say, “Ooooo!”  Very cute, and absolutely no hysterics!

By the time the traffic cleared out, it was quarter to eleven by the time we got home.  Yikes!  Not the best plan for a race the next morning!

So, this morning, at 6:00 a.m., we all rolled out of bed.  I got myself ready and then quickly fed the baby, who wasn’t overly happy to be awoken that early.

By the way, Jeremy has been sleeping through the night with no interruptions two nights running!  Yee haw!

At 6:45, we loaded up and headed to downtown Peoria for the 29th annual Peoria Jaycees Firecracker 5000.  Here are my two speedy racers before the start.

And here are my two observers.

Just a bit of information…Charlotte has MAJORLY fallen off in her training these past two weeks, mostly due to her participation in sports camps.  She ran a couple of times this past week, but not much.  What she really had going for her, due to her lack of consistent training, was how few kids 10 and under participate in these races.

All of that being said…she still placed first with a time of 27:36, beating the second place finisher by some 20 seconds.  However, this was not a happy race for her.  At one point in the course, the runners passed a sewage treatment plant, where there was a strong septic smell.  Then, they ran along the riverfront, where there was a strong fishy smell.  When Charlotte crossed the finish line, she vomited…three times!

A kind lady brought her to me, where Charlotte tearfully told me, “I wanted to throw up two times on the course, but I didn’t!  But I had to stop like 10 times to walk!  But not for very long!  And then I threw up when I finished!  I feel terrible!”

I mopped her up as best I could with the baby’s burp cloth while we waited for Jeff to finish.  Then, we checked the results and saw that Charlotte had still finished first, despite the drama.  Frustratingly, I didn’t get any good pictures, due to the fact that Jeremy screamed every time I tried to put him the stroller, so I was trying to take pictures one-handed.  Grrr.

 

While we waited for the awards presentation, Charlotte and Jeff hopped in the food and beverage line.  Believe it or not, Kelleher’s Pub, race sponsor and location of the start/finish, was serving Domino’s pizza and light beer…at 8:00 a.m.!  Charlotte and Jeff both grabbed some grub, but Jeff passed on the beer!

Here is Charlotte getting and showing off her latest medal.  By the time we left, she was feeling great.  There’s nothing like getting an award to brighten your day!

 

So, we got back home by 9:00, with Independence Day stretched lazily before us…no plans, no appointments.  Jeff grilled steaks for lunch, Jeff and I took naps in the afternoon, and I went on a quick bike ride with the two big kids after I woke up.

Now, storms are rolling in, and we may play some Wii or watch a movie to round out our day.  And, since Jeff is off tomorrow, we may go to see “Toy Story 3.”

Hope yours was just as good!