The Taste (and Happy Father's Day)

Yesterday we took the girls to the Taste of (our county) festival. For $8 per adult (the kids were free) we purchased admission to the festival grounds (most of downtown), where we could buy tickets (at $1 each) to buy tiny portions of food from local restaurants. Three potstickers from the Korean place were 4 tickets, or $4. Bottled water - $2. Coke - $3. Root beer float - $3. Tiny 6 ounce smoothie - $1. Beer - $3.

We totally got fleeced. But it was fun, so, whatever.

There were bands. We sat and listened to a very good Irish group that was, by far, my favorite. MG was hilarious, she danced and danced. We also listened to a jazz group and a doo-wap group. They were ok. There were bagpipers playing near the park for a good part of the evening. MG called them "bad pipes." Hahaha...

We waited around until 10 pm (stupid daylight savings time...) for the fireworks. This was a Very Bad Plan. MG has a real problem with noises lately. I don't know if it's a toddler thing, or what, but she absolutely Freaked Right Out. It was too bad, because they were really spectacular. She was shaking and crying so much that we had to leave. She was holding onto BJ so hard that he didn't even have to hold her back - she was clinging to his neck for dear life.

The 4th of July is going to be a hoot. All of our neighbors spend ridiculous money on firecrackers. The smoke rolling down the street makes it look like someone has a fog machine on in a small room. Personally, I think you might as well go in the front yard and burn $20 bills, but what do I know about fun? Anyway, we may have to go stay with Grandpa Ben at the farm (quiet, no neighbors for miles and miles) that night, or something, so that she doesn't end up with post-traumatic stress disorder.

It was stinkin' hot here yesterday, even at 5 pm when we left for the Taste. Amelia's grandma suggested, when we ran into her, that we wet the receiving blanket with some water and put it on C's head to keep her cool, and darned if it didn't work like a charm! She was the most comfortable of the four of us, by far. Hooray for people who are older and more experienced!!

We ran into lots of people we know, including my old bosses, and our friends who have a little girl MG's age, and one of the kids who used to be an intern for us. I happened to catch his karaoke performance, which was totally worth the price of admission. There is not enough $3 beer in the world to make karaoke a good idea.

Some crazy woman made a comment to BJ that I'm still trying to figure out. I was holding C. MG was running around, a few feet ahead of BJ. This woman comes up to MG and says, "Are you waiting for your Daddy?" and BJ said, to MG, "Come on, Sweetheart..." the woman then said something about how she'd been to DisneyWorld where "all the pedophiles are."

Excuse me???

I asked BJ about the exchange because I saw the woman walk away, shaking her head in a "tsk, tsk," sort of way. I don't know if she was implying that she thought BJ might be a pedophile, or if she was chastising him for being a couple of feet behind because a pedophile might grab MG, or what, but it was a hugely inappropriate thing for her to say. If it was the first, I think it's sad that we live in a world where a Dad can't go out in public with his daughter without someone thinking he might be a pedophile. If it was the latter, who the hell does she think she is to criticize his parenting? He was only 4 feet behind her. It's not like he was too far away to protect her if someone did try to grab her, and we weren't in a crowded area at the time. Both BJ and I could see her the entire time.

All I have to say is that she's lucky I was out of earshot at the time, because I would have let her have it. Busy body....

*sigh* Anyway, that was that.

We took the double stroller, which I love, but it seems like we can't get both kids to stay in it for more than 13 seconds. C still has to ride in her bucket, which snaps onto the front seat, which makes the whole assembly even longer. For most of the festival, C ended up being held in my sling (LOVE my sling - mine is French Blue, I also have a fleece one in plumstone for winter, which is even better). I think next time we're going to try C in the sling and MG in the backpack carrier, and see how that goes. It is amazing how many different ways we have to get these kids from point A to point B - and most of the time they just want to walk or be held, anyway. But mommies and daddies want to have arms (and personal space - especially when it's 100 degrees outside!). I'm looking forward to C being able to sit up, so that we can ditch the bucket, and just put her in the front seat (or the back seat) of the stroller. I think they'll both like it better when we can use it that way, and it'll be way easier to push.

No pictures, unfortunately, because the camera still needs to be charged. I thought that having it plugged into the computer via USB (as if to upload pictures) would charge it, but I was mistaken. Whoops.

Happy Father's Day to all! Especially Grandpa Ben, Grandpa Bob, and Pops! And of course, BJ, who is the best dad I could've picked for my girls. I love you all a bunch!