Daddy was in the parade!

This afternoon, the kids and I were able to watch the Christmas parade in town and the "official" lighting of the town's Christmas tree. Now, Nathan and I always say that the town of Conway is like a city compared to where we came from (which it totally IS!), but I must say that our little hometowns of New Bethlehem/Hawthorn in western Pennsylvania far outdo the parades around here (and that's not saying much!). Officially, I have now attended the second shortest parade in my entire life! (The absolute shortest parade also took place in Conway!) Please don't take my poking fun as ungratefulness or snootiness because all in all, it was so nice for the kids and I to get out and enjoy being with one another, making memories, and being outside, especially during the first snowfall of the season. (YEAH! I'm so glad the snow has FINALLY arrived!) After the parade was over, we walked down to the park. On our way, we heard a new siren and then saw the blue lights coming our way. When the cruiser got to us, we discovered that it was Daddy! As soon as Nathan made his way past us, Ivy remarked, "Daddy was in the parade!" (Little did she know that he wasn't actually an "official" part of the parade but on his way to an emergency call! As a side note, I don't think I will EVER get used to hearing sirens wailing knowing Nate is at work and wondering if they are his, what kind of emergency he has been called to, or what kind of a person he has to deal with OR, worse yet, actually seeing Nathan speed by with lights shining and sirens blaring. When I do hear or see them, I always take the time to pray for the situation and for the people involved, whether it includes Nathan or not. I am thankful though knowing that God is in control of ALL things and that He will protect Nathan; however, if God chooses to take Nate to be with Him, I will one day see him again in Heaven and that God will take care of us and ALL of our needs here! Okay, enough of my rabbit trail!) When we finally got to the park, we watched the tree lighting, saw Santa, and enjoyed some FREE cookies. Yummy!

After the festivities, I asked Ivy what her favorite part of the parade was, to which she replied that seeing the horses and Santa Claus were the best. Then after a bit of further thought, she also remarked that she liked getting ALL of the candy (a few pieces, but it doesn't take much to please Ivy!) and getting to see Daddy "because Daddy was in the parade!" I think Owen's favorite part of the parade was watching all of the fire engines with sirens blasting and lights flashing. Owen loved waving to the firemen as they drove by (what a cutie pie), and he just couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the trucks.

The Christmas season is upon us!