Christmas Parade

This last weekend our fam participated in the Redlands Christmas Parade. It was a last minute thing but we had fun. We walked with our Redlands Homeschooler's Group and the kids decorated a beautiful banner and carried flags with "Merry Christmas" written in different languages. I loaded the kids up in our wagon and got ready for a chilly night of walking. My mom, dad, sis and more stood on the sidelines to cheer us on. After hours of waiting in line, we were off! At the last minute Jay decided to walk with us. I think a little part of me loved him more at that very moment. There were only three dads that walked with all of us moms and kids. Jay enjoyed pulling the kids in the wagon and "swooping" to the sidelines to give the onlookers candy canes. It was wonderful to see all of us enjoying the moment.

There were several times during the parade that people began cheering loudly for our group. We encountered moms yelling, "Yeah home schooler's!!!" while pointing to their children, "I home schooled every single one of my children!" I got a little teary eyed at a few moments. I was proud that my family and I stood for our belief in homeschooling and that people verbalized their support. We were all so proud to represent our right to home school. It was incredibly empowering.

Overall the entire group had a great time and we promised to do it again next year. (We're keeping our fingers crossed for a float...the walking became tiresome for the little ones.)