July 4th at Yorktown

This year we decided to go to the Yorktown display of fireworks. You have to get there pretty early in order to get a parking spot. They close down the town to traffic after all the parking is full. So we all headed out in our patriotic attire and got there around 3pm. The boy enjoyed the moon bounce and giant slide as well as the classic car parade. We ate at one of the restaurants on the water. It was a lot more fancy than we had thought but everyone behaved pretty well since they were all hungry. We were looking forward to the air force band playing all the great songs but after the reading of the declaration of independence (which is pretty long) by people in colonial costumes, the director stood up and said that there was a thunderstorm headed right for us and the the fireworks had been canceled!!! What a bummer that was. We thought we would stick around and see if it was going to actually rain or not. When it started to sprinkle we decided we would just head home. By the time we got Vanya covered up in the stroller and the other boys under an umbrella or in a poncho it really started to come down and we all felt like cattle trying to get to the parking area. The were only a couple of walkways through the grass to to the field you park in so everyone was pushing and shoving because it was really starting to rain hard by that time. Trying to push a stroller through wet grass while trying to keep all of our belongings together on top and making sure we hadn't left anyone behind was quite the site. Rob just opted to get drenched rather than trying to stay dry. So by the time we all got to the car everyone was tired, disappointed, and wet. On the way home in the line of cars we were in we happened to see a few fireworks in the sky. You guessed it! They still set off the fireworks since the rain had passed by the time we got out of the parking lot but by that time it was too late to turn around. Turning around really wasn't an option anyway since all the traffic was being directed one way. We did see some other fireworks going off and Rob was clever enough to figure out that it was from Busch Gardens so we went and parked outside the gate along the road and then just opened the sliding door and the window on that side and we all got to see fireworks from the comfort of our car while staying dry!
The boys loved the fireworks and weren't even scared of the loud noises they made. We caught the last 15 minutes of the fireworks display and the boys were once again happy and fast asleep by the time we got home 20 minutes after that. They still don't have a clue what we were celebrating but they thought the day was pretty fun. One day they will appreciate and understand what it mean to be an American.

It was just one year ago today that it was Independence Day for them from orphanage life, so I'm sure it will always hold a dual meaning for them. It' hard to believe it has been a year. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago. They all speak only English and I don't think they even understand any Russian anymore although I wish they had been able to retain some of it. This year has held many ups and downs but when I look back they have brought so much joy to my heart and excitement to our family that I wouldn't trade it for the world!

1st day of freedom 2007 and Arriving in America


Mama mama mama