Independence Day Celebration

Austen went to see her first fireworks this year. We went to North Branch Park in Bridgewater, where they had setup plenty of activities including bouncy castles, inflatable slides, food stands and a live band.

We arrived around 6pm with fireworks scheduled to start at 9:30pm, well past Austen’s 8pm bed time. We explored around a little bit and then went straight for the jumpy castle, one of Austen’s favorite street fair games. When her time was up, she didn’t want to leave so Dada had to climb in to help Austen out.

Afterwards, we got some treats at the food stand and went to listen to the band. There were a few sessions of rain and we all cuddled together under a small umbrella, although Austen was the only one who managed to stay dry.

Around 8pm, Austen wandered through the crowd and came across some older kids playing soccer. Of course, she had to go kick the ball and the older boys were happy to play with her. Then, some more younger kids joined in and it became a bee-hive of baby soccer players, all swarming around the ball trying to make contact.
After getting her fill of the soccer activities, Austen ran around with some other kids, chasing them and also being chased. This lasted about thirty minutes and tired Dada out.

Then, around 9pm, an announcement was made saying the fireworks would start a little early to avoid some additional rain that was headed our way. So, Mama and Dada took a very tired and hyper Austen back to their chair where she settled in and drank her water. Within two minutes, Austen feel asleep and two minute later, the fireworks started.

Despite the loud noises, bright flashes of colorful light, and regular attempts to wake her, Austen refused to look and kept her arm over her eyes so she could sleep. It started raining again and before the grand finale, we decided to head to the car. On the way back, Austen woke up and enjoyed the last few minutes of her first fireworks show, although she was a little surprised to see all the activity up there in the sky.