The Wojos: 4th of July

For the 4th this year we headed to Andrew & Brea's in Hudson for a mini-reunion with two of our best buddies from college, Katie and Sara (aka Preggers). It was lucky that none of us had plans to be camping or other traditional summer events that weekend, so we took advantage. The boys went to the freakishly long Twins game Friday night, while us girls and Jackson watched fireworks at the park by the St. Croix river. We got down there just after 8:30, so we figured we'd be waiting a while. It was confusing, though, because we kept seeing fireworks everywhere, some that were clearly being shot off nearby boats or islands, but some that weren't as obvious, and they didn't always follow each other in rapid succession like a typical fireworks show would. We kept asking ourselves, "Was that it? Are those the real thing? Is the show starting?" We knew the real deal would be big and loud, but it kept getting darker and darker and all we saw were these random fireworks every now and then. But sure enough, just past 10 p.m., we saw the real deal and knew the official show had begun. It was short, but the fireworks were great! We chose a quieter spot away from the large crowds, and it turned out to be a great view.

Waiting for the show to begin

Finally!

And soon enough, the grand finale

Jackson did a great job! We kept him happy with snacks beforehand, and by the time the real fireworks started he'd gotten used to the smaller ones that had been going off, so the big ones didn't even bother him. He went back and forth a few times between Brea and I, but overall he was totally mesmerized and occasionally made little noises. He also had a really good time hamming it up with the ladies, being goofy and making them laugh. But first he had to try to get over his shyness, which didn't take long with Auntie Brea since she looks like Mommy: