The A-List: The 4th

A bit of transparency: Stuart and I LOVE our sleep. Thank goodness our son does, too. We were blessed with a good sleeper right out of the womb, and I'm not sure we could have survived otherwise. (Fingers crossed for Kennedy!) That being said, it's the early bird who gets the worm, right? Right.

The City of Lakeway puts on a great day of events for the families of the neighborhood every year. This year, there was a parade at 8:30...8:30??? We are still in our pajamas and rolling out of bed at that time. Now, don't get me wrong, if Preston had woken up early, I would have loved to get him dressed in his patriotic attire, head down to the main drag, and watch the decorated golf carts and musicians stroll the streets, as well as the F18's impress in a flyover. That didn't happen, but when I started seeing my neighborhood friends post about the events, I felt so guilty we hadn't done the same with Preston! Let's be honest, he is just as cranky when he can't wake up on his own terms as Stuart and I are. So, we opted for a leisurely morning. I cooked a red, white, and blue breakfast, and we took our time getting out of the house.

Red, white, and blue fruit plate

Besides, we had the Army helicopter on display to look forward to, right? Wrong! The events noted that it would be on display until noon. We arrived at 11 (I said we were being leisurely!), and the helicopter had gone! Not to mention the host at the activity center laughing at us and saying, "You came too late, hahah!" Wow, I felt like such a dud! But I wouldn't leave until getting some sweet pictures of Preston in his flag outfit.

Checking out the Lakeway Fiddlers

After that disappointment, we headed to where else, but Home Depot. Success! Preston found the tractors and was in hog heaven. Seriously, this boy could "drive" a tractor all day long.

Then, when we got home, it was time for us to set to work making our annual Flag Cake. And by "make" I mean decorate a store-bought angel food cake with Cool Whip, strawberries, and blueberries. Messy as it was, Preston had a great time helping to decorate-sneaking a few bites along the way. ;-)

He was so proud using that spatula!

Place one, eat one, place one, eat one

The final masterpiece!

The second half of the day continued to be successful. After nap time, we went straight over to Mimi & Papa's house to "hijack" the golf cart and ride to the neighborhood pool for some swimming fun. Let me tell you, if we had our own tractor and golf cart at home, we'd never leave! I WISH I had some pictures of Preston going down the frog slide, but that doesn't happen with mom and dad are both in the pool! Lastly, we got to dance to some classic rock, and PJ was loving it. He can't help but move when he hears any kind of "tukit (music)." My personal favorite part was getting up to dance together to the tune of "Pretty Woman." Ahhh, love my boy.

I love the post-hot dog ketchup-smeared look

To top off the evening, we walked about 50 yards where one of my long-time friends, Lee Krassner, had his food trailer-Dock & Roll Diner-set up. Stuart and I enjoyed some delicious sliders, while Preston had fun, once again, "driving" their burnt orange truck and laughing at himself in the rearview mirror. Afterwards, we hopped back in the golf cart and headed back to pick up our car, and I don't know who was more excited to see whom-Mimi or Preston? My parents had just arrived home from an excursion to Vail, and Preston and Mimi got their fix of each other.