24th of July

We spent the 24th of July as usual- at my mom’s house with my immediate family, aunts and uncles, cousins, and all their kids. It’s not officially a reunion, but it pretty much has turned into one. My mom lives right on Center Street, so we watched the parade in her front yard. After the parade, we started our big feast under the patio and visited with everyone.


This year, we had 3 pools for the kids to play in (which was nice on a nearly 100 degree day)! By the afternoon my little ones were getting cranky, so we took them home for a nap while the rest of the girls made washer necklaces and bead watches.


I can’t forget the highlight of our 24th though- we walked to the park one night and ate at the yummiest booth that had Caribbean food. The lady was sooo nice and the food was to die for. She was still open at 10:30 when I picked Brandon up from work, so we stopped by to get him some dinner. We also went back on the night of the 24th because we were craving it again- I wish they had a restaurant!

On our way back to the house it started to rain and the wind was blowing really hard. Maddie panicked that she wouldn’t get to go to the carnival. (She had been hounding me about going all week.) We tried about 3 times to go to the carnival when the rain and wind let down, but each time it started back up. Finally, we decided we were going no matter what and it ended up being pretty nice. The kids got their rides in and the adults were worn out at the end, so we headed back to Grandma’s where we finished the night with fireworks.


I think the 24th is my favorite holiday just because it has been a tradition ever since I was little and it brings back a lot of memories of my Grandma. I feel a little silly when I drive down Main Street and see the carnival and park set up for the festivities and I get a lump well up in my throat! I can’t wait for next year!