I enjoyed my very first Father’s Day with a quiet weekend at home with Candy and the kids. They surprised me with some wonderful gifts, most specially a picture frame with their handprints embedded. They took me out for a delicious dinner at Blue Ridge Grill and we had a nice walk around the neighborhood.
The next weekend we went up to Delaware to celebrate Thomas’ first birthday. The weather was great and it’s always fun to see the cousins all playing together. That night we made it home in time to catch the tail end of the Brambleton Freedom Fest and our second annual fireworks display, which was just as impressive as last year’s. They did get started late due to some technical difficulties, and Riley fell asleep during the fireworks display in spite of the noise. Veronica was not a fan of the noise but did finally stop crying long enough to watch some of the pretty colors. I ended up having to carry her home because she was too scared to go back in the stroller.
For the Fourth of July we had the whole clan down our way, and started the day with the ceremony at the National Archives and the reading of the Declaration of Independence. After that, we watched the parade and hung out in Mom & Dad’s hotel before dinner at The Dubliner and the big fireworks show. This time both Riley and Veronica stayed awake and there wasn’t a tear in sight!
