The Christmas Parade

 On the night of the Christmas Parade downtown, Saunders and I had a meeting to go to - but Gigi and Granddad watched the kids for us.  Katie Anne really wanted to see the parade, so Gigi and Granddad braved the cold to take the kids out to see it!  SJ was a little bit afraid and had to be held almost the entire time, but Katie Anne loved it.  She had a great time and even made a new friend!

The Kiddie Day Parade

Today, we walked with the kids in the 55th Annual Kiddie Day Parade in downtown Cartersville.  Katie Anne has been in the parade for the past two years - once as a clown and once as a UGA cheerleader.  This year, she thought being a cowgirl was a good idea.  

 

I wanted both kids to be able to participate - even though putting a one-month-old in a parade might've been pushing it!  So, Saunders IV was a cowboy to match Katie Anne's cowgirl.  We already had some of the supplies, so I just had to pick up a few things to complete their looks.  Katie Anne wore her denim skirt, a tank top and plaid shirt, some brown boots, and a cowgirl hat ... she looked so totally cute!

In this picture, she's singing her own original song, "Cowboy, cowgirl!  Cowboy, cowgirl!" and calling out "Yee haw - Gilley up!"  (We've told her it's "Giddy up!", but she prefers "Gilley".)

She was totally in love with her outfit at home... she kept running into my room to look at herself in the full-length mirror.  

 Unfortunately, when we got in the car, she got whiny and decided she didn't like her costume as much and refused to wear the boots or hat because they were "itchy".  At least I got lots of cute pictures of her in them at home!

The young cowpoke SJ4 was not quite as into his costume as his sister.  He got fussy when his little overalls were put on him and didn't want to pose for pictures.  However, we didn't listen to that nonsense and posed him anyway!

Saunders IV needs to learn that fashion is not comfortable and looking good is not easy.  His first lesson was the overalls.  Lesson #2 was this cute little cowboy hat.  He may not like it, but he can't deny that he looks like a rootin' tootin' cowboy in it!

Luckily, he felt a lot better once he got buckled into his car seat and fell asleep on the way to the parade!

We decided to let them ride in their new double stroller that my parents bought us - it was their first time using it, and they both loved it!  Saunders IV slept through the whole parade and only got fussy as we were pushing back towards the car.  Katie Anne loved riding in the stroller, too - she kept laying back and saying, "Man, this thing is nice."  So, the double stroller is a hit!

On the route!

The stroller is so easy to push!

My parents came and watched us in the parade, and my mom took some family pictures of us after the parade was over.  I'll get those from her and post them soon!

The Cartersville Christmas Parade

On Thursday night, Katie Anne and I rode on the Century Bank float in the annual Christmas Parade!  It was very, very cold out there!  Katie Anne and I arrived at Tabernacle Baptist Church to line up with the other parade participants at 5:15.  This was our first time riding in the parade, so we didn't know exactly how everything would go.  Luckily, we bundled up sufficiently and weren't too cold.  However, I didn't realize that - because we were one of the last floats - we'd have to sit on the hay bales on the bank's decorated trailer for an hour and forty minutes!  Wow!  Needless to say, we got just a little bored while waiting on the parade to start.  Unfortunately, I hadn't adequately prepared for the wait, and we didn't really have anything to do.  Luckily, I had a small container of green Play-doh in my purse, so we spent some time making Play-doh shapes with our freezing cold hands, alternating with warm-up periods of mitten wearing when we got too cold.  Here are some pictures of us before the parade started.

Little Miss Bundled Up

"I'm, like, sooo ready for this parade to, like, start."

Having a fun time once Mommy found the Play-doh

After about an hour and fifteen minutes of entertaining ourselves with about 2 oz of Play-doh, Katie Anne came up with the brilliant idea to make us two mustaches to wear.

 Unfortunately, since our only color choice was lime green and we're not too skilled at making mustaches, our fabulous fake facial hair looked suspiciously like giant boogers.

 

Whatever it takes to entertain a two-and-a-half-year-old in 30 degree weather for an hour and forty minutes, right?

While we were waiting in the parking lot, my family was waiting at Century Bank for the parade to ride by. 

Saunders couldn't ride on the float with us because he'd been at a conference in Atlanta all day and wouldn't make it back until it was too late.  Instead, he helped serve hot chocolate at the bank and watched the parade, too.

 

Here are some of the best floats...

The Budweiser Clydesdales

 

Finally, here comes the Century Bank float!

 

The float stopped at the bank, and Katie Anne and I hopped out to visit with everyone and watch the rest of the parade from there.

 

Overall, riding in the parade was a fun experience.  Once the parade got going, Katie Anne had a good time waving at the crowds - which were surprisingly HUGE - and yelling "Merry Christmas!" and "Ho ho ho!" to the people lining the streets.  I'm not sure if we'll participate next year, but if we do, I'll go into it more prepared.  I won't arrive quite so early, and I'll bring more drinks, snacks, and things to entertain us until the parade starts.  Hopefully, Saunders's schedule will work out so that he could ride with us, too.

After the parade, Katie Anne went home with my parents while Saunders and I helped the Advocates for Bartow's Children host an after-party at The City Loft and Cellar.  We had food, drinks, and games for guests to play.  We also had lots of prizes to give away from donors.  Saunders and I paid $20 to get in on the Dirty Santa game, and I chose wisely... I won a $50 gift card to Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse!  It was a fun night, and the best part was that we raised almost $800 for the Flowering Branch Children's Shelter!

The Kiddie Day Parade!

On Saturday morning, Cartersville held its annual Kiddie Day Parade.  Katie Anne rode in the parade last year with my parents (Saunders and I were in Arizona that weekend) and had a great time, so we wanted to take her back this year.  Most kids wear their Halloween costumes in the parade, and there's a costume contest.  I was hoping to enter her in with her Snow White costume.  However, after the days and days of torrential rain we've had around here lately, I decided not to risk it.  Instead, she wore one of her UGA cheerleading costumes, and Saunders and I wore our UGA shirts, too.  We decorated my parents' wagon with red and black blankets and pillows, and all her "Georgia friends" - as Katie Anne calls them - rode with her ... Uga, Hairy Dawg, and two cheerleader "Dolly Girls".

We got in line for the parade at about 9:15, and we had to wait until the 10:00 am starting time.  For that whole 45 minutes, the sky looked dreary and gray, and the wind was whipping up.  We knew it was just a matter of time before the bottom dropped out!  Also during the waiting time, I should note for posterity's sake, Katie Anne sat quietly in the wagon and played alone with her Georgia friends for the entire 45 minutes.  She never asked to get out or really made a sound... just played with Uga and Hairy Dawg or made the dolly girls dance around the wagon and sing Georgia cheers.  We talked to her and played with her and her dollies a bit, but really she just quietly entertained herself during the waiting time.  We had several sets of total stranger parents come up to us and ask us how old she was - and when they heard she was the same age as their kids, who were running around like goofballs through the crowd - how we got her to sit and just play quietly like that for so long.  Maybe we don't give her enough credit for her good behavior!

Thank goodness that I didn't send that satin Snow White confection out on the road in a wagon... because we were drenched!  After we started walking, it started sprinkling.  By the time we'd walked about a quarter mile down the road, it just started pouring.  We saw my parents waiting under an awning at Write on Main, so we pulled over and waited with them.  Virtually all the marchers stopped walking and pulled under cover.  We felt terrible for those kids and families who had worked so hard on their costumes and rides... there were three little pigs with elaborate houses, a firetruck and cute little firegirl, and lots more of detailed sets and costumes that were ruined in the rain.

Katie Anne said she did not have any fun - but she did want to redo the Kiddie Parade the next day!  I think she did have fun, but it is hard to realize it when you're riding home soaking wet.  Regardless of the soaking, we did get lots of cute pictures and have a family morning outing.  Here's a Smilebox of the morning's adventures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hopefully, we'll have some drier weather for a Kiddie Day Parade next year!

Katie Anne's Kiddie Day Parade!

On Saturday, Katie Anne participated in the Kiddie Day Parade in Cartersville with Gigi and Granddad. She was the first "float" right behind the band- of course, they put her first because she's so cute! She wore her Halloween costume and brought her stuffed animals, so her float was "Big Top Circus". (Katie Anne's wearing this clown costume for Halloween... Gigi made it for me when I was 1 and a half for Halloween!) Here are some pictures of her as she parades around town.