Fourth of July

The family tried out our first roadtrip with Noah for the Fourth of July. Our original plan was to head to Idyllwild, CA visit the town, see the National Forest, and possibly spend the night if the mood struck us. The drive started well, Noah slept most of the time and we arrived in Idyllwild by 9:45am despite my fear of driving on windy mountain roads. :) Unfortunately, there was really nothing to do in the town and there was no parking due to a parade, so we left for our next destination.

Since we didn't like Idyllwild, we thought we would try Palm Springs, CA having heard it was a great place. When we arrived in Palm Springs 2 hours later, we discovered it really is the desert. According to Tim it was 140 degrees there. ;) Needless to say, that was much too hot for Noah. So, while Tim and I regrouped and made a new plan, Noah had a picnic in the parking garage. Necessity really is the mother of all invention. In the end we decided to stop at McDonald's for ice cream and then head home. So our Fourth of July included about five to six hours of driving, a stop at McDonald's, a frozen pizza for dinner, and playing in the sprinklers at home.

We didn't watch any fireworks, but we joined our neighbors in breaking the law. At 9:30pm when Noah woke up in the night, we took him out in the backyard and I held him while Tim burned two boxes of sparklers. Noah definitely liked them. He takes after his Mommy that way. Our roadtrip may have been a bust, but the day ended up well anyway. Perhaps the essence of being a family, being flexible and enjoying the small moments with each other.