Fireworks

The 4th of July was a hit for my son. We arrived at my parents' house in Ohio around 4:30pm on the 3rd and he was so excited to see his Gran and Papa. He was practically bouncing off the walls. I can't really blame him. He had been in the car for a little over three hours. That's rough for a two year old - it's rough for a thirty-one year old.

Everyone else started trickling in after six and my son had three of his favorite foods for dinner - hotdogs, corn on the cob and strawberries. He was a little unsure of the the strangers at first and I'm not sure he ever got used to the adults. Because we live in Michigan, we don't see the aunts, uncles and cousins often enough for him be comfortable. He did meet my father's brother (who has a beard like papa) and he was pretty curious about that. Up until that point, my father had been the only person he had seen up close with a beard.

The first year my son was here, he stayed up and watched the fireworks, but he was only six months old so it didn't make a lasting impression. Last year, he fell asleep just before the fireworks started so we didn't get to see his reaction.

This year, he made it and he was pretty awed the experience. He didn't crack a smile or say a word during the whole show, he just watched. Every once in awhile he took the time to nod his head when someone asked if he liked the fireworks, but other than that he was just too fascinated to move.

After the fireworks, he and my cousin's children were full of energy - the wild energy that comes with too much sugar and not enough sleep. They tickled each other, they threw a beach ball around, they tackled each other...my son really liked these cousins. He didn't remember meeting them before and they are both much older than him, but it didn't matter.

We finally went to bed a little after 11:00pm, but my son still woke up at 6:00am. Does anyone know how to turn off an internal alarm clock?