Fireworks for Graduation

This was the first time we participated in any Princeton graduation related activities.  The campus is crawling with alumni (reunions) and families of graduating students.  Tonight was fireworks.  The kids really enjoyed them.  Nyle was at first very scared and hid behind Mom.  But Lydia was clever enough to cover his ears.  Once he learned that trick, he put his fingers in his ears and enjoyed the show.  He didn't even want to pull them out of his ears when the show ended.  Then he just went on talking about hot lava and fire during the walk back to the car.  He's a cutie.  The older kids told me about their favorite fireworks and that they thought they were going to land on them (as did Nyle).

Lydia and Tyler have a bad habit of complaining about things before hand that they end up really enjoying.  We told the kids that we were staying up late and going to the park tonight.  We wouldn't tell them why because Lydia in particular doesn't deal well with disappointment, and I wasn't completely sure that I got the time and day right for the fireworks.  So when the fireworks began as we were pulling in to Princeton, the kids at first thought it was cool to see them out the car window.  Then it registered with Lydia that this was the reason we were coming.  The complaining began.  "I thought we were going to a park to play in a playground."  "I would rather stay home and play video games."  Then after they had seen the firework show up close, they took it all back.  Tyler explained, "I thought it would rain on us like it did last time."  (In Boston, it pored on us while we watched fireworks over the river.)

I didn't actually watch the whole show.  I was parking and walking most of the time, carrying Emmett in the baby carrier.  Emmett didn't mind the fireworks.  He just stared the whole time.