Neewollah Grand Parade 2013

The Grand Parade started off a bit cloudy and with a few sprinkles, but soon the skies cleared and we had a beautiful, sunny day! We love joining our family along the parade route for conversation and fun before the parade starts. Aunt Sue knows how to take care of us with goodies & snacks for the kids! 

Bacon & Eggs are a Neewollah tradition!

We love this parade! There were a lot of great floats and marching bands this year! The kids got lots of candy, too! Aunt Sue & I did a lot of clapping and hollering out appreciation for everyone who passed by...it's all tradition!

The Independence High School Marching Band! Go Bulldogs!

Queen Neelah!

Grandma Ida with the grandkids and great-grandbaby!

Our friends, the Kings!

Post-Parade Pics

It has become a family tradition that after the Kiddie Parade, we head back to Papa Derrel & Nana Billie's house to take family photos in our costumes with the float. We got some good photos this year! 

LOVE!

My cutie-pie! 

The costumed cousins! The kids had a fabulous time with their cousins during the Neewollah weekend!

Time to play! After all the prepping & primping and waiting then waving, the kids are ready to have some fun! Always a great experience and so grateful to Papa Derrel for building the float and Nana Billie for the amazing costumes!

Neewollah Kiddie Parade 2013

A beautiful day for a parade, and there are few parades as fun as the Neewollah Kiddie Parade! The photo below is a shot of the crowd waiting for the parade to start...I will remind you that this is a town of less than 10,000 people. My brother-in-law said it best, "People here take their kiddie parades seriously!"

Here are a few shots of the kids as they were getting ready for the parade! We LOVED our costumes this year (thanks, Nana Billie!): Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Andy, a toy soldier and a doll! I was a tad worried that Degen might protest his costume a bit this year as he had said that he wanted to be a pirate, but he put on the costume with a smile and seemed to really enjoy it! The kiddos were just super-cute! 

My serious boy, preparing for the parade!

Dapper Darren in his toy soldier costume! 

It was an overall great Kiddie Parade with lots of participants and spectators. The kids knew exactly what to do and were great at smiling & waving at the crowd. It is always fun to see all the great costumes and familiar faces! Another great Kiddie Parade!

There were some additions to the parade this year, and the Neewollah banner started us off!

I LOVE this boy! 

Darren pulling the float as the parade begins.

Our nieces (as Dorothy & the Cowardly Lion) marched by us. There was a HUGE crowd of spectators this year!

 

Indianapolis Children's Museum, Fall 2013

The kids exploring light & mirrors.

Well, if we are heading west on I-70, our first big stop is going to be the Indianapolis Children's Museum! There were a ton of people there this time, and quite a few exhibits were closed because of renovation, but there was still a lot to see and do. This year, the kids spent a lot of time in the ScienceWorks exhibit, especially at the water tables, and we attended a special class all about gravity that was really informative and fun. We also spent a lot of time at one of Kyrie's favorite exhibits: The Power of Children. Each time we go, she gleans a bit more understanding about the lives of the children explained in the exhibit (Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges & Ryan White). The Children's Museum is one of my favorite stops, and I am already looking forward to going back when some of the new exhibits open! 

Degen having tea with the three bears.

Darren helping the kids make key chains for children in foster care.

The Power of Children has a lot of information, which brings about a lot of good questions from Kyrie. In the photo above, she is watching a news story from the 80s about the fear of AIDS. Below, she is observing a famous painting of Ruby Bridges.