Parade time

Considering the many hours we shivered together in the dead of winter around a cold hockey rink, it's kind of odd (but nice) for the Esko Youth Hockey Association to get together on an 80-degree day in August. The occasion? The Esko Fun Day parade.

AJ has been looking forward to this day for weeks. He got to be IN a parade. On a float! Throwing candy to all the kids. (Never mind that they handed out push-up popsicles, not candy; and they ran out before they ever reached us.) It was a dream come true.

Should it come as an surprise that he hammed it up when he spotted Sydney and me sitting on the curb?

With AJ and Daddy in the parade (if you squint, you can see Jeff toward the left side in the top photo), Sydney had the added responsibility of being the sole candy collector.

She was pretty cautious about venturing into the street. "Lucky" for us, our church, which also had a float in the parade, apparently bought way more candy than necessary. When their float passed us, both pastors, along with one of the pastors' sons, all dumped a handful of candy into Sydney's bucket.

I think to show my thanks, I'll let the kids dip into the bucket tomorrow morning and get a good sugar high going. Right before I send them up for the children's sermon.