Christmas Parade

We went to our last Christmas parade last weekend … (well, it’s not the last, but the last one that Jazz will march in and they’re so hokey [no offense Springfield], that I highly doubt we go back to see another one just for the sake of seeing another one).

We dropped Jazz off in the parking lot and waited around for them to “step off.” We happened to be parked in the lane that they lined up in, so we got a pretty good view of them as they marched past.

The band director put the seniors on the outside, so Jazz walked right past us. He smiled as he saw us. And one of his friends, a few rows back, saw us too.

“Hey Jazz,” he yelled, ” I see your parents.”

We laughed.

After the kids took off on their route, we drove to the end of the route, parked and walked back to meet Kevin’s parents and sister.

It was cloudy and cold that day, but nothing like I’m-so-cold-my-fingers-are-going-fall-off miserable, so we managed.

We waited for about twenty minutes before the first cop car rolled around the corner.

And then members of the military.

And then a 4×4 truck followed by girl scouts.

Then a high school band.

And a rather pathetic-looking float.

Our parades are sort of hokey, if you want the truth.

Our kids were number 19 in the line up and they finally rounded the corner:

My heart soared. I don’t know these kids, but I’m proud of them.

We maneuvered it so that we would be on the side of the street that Jazz would be on and we weren’t disappointed, he walked right past us.

And a few rows back, his friend also saw us.

“Hey Jazz,” he called out, “I see your parents again.

We all laughed.

I’m so glad that we made an effort to be at his band functions over the years. He’ll remember us supporting him and though he occasionally acts like he doesn’t care if we show up, I know, by the smile he flashed us in the above picture, that he enjoys having us cheer him on.

For some reason, I totally blanked out and forgot that my phone has a video function and didn’t take any video of the kids. But the band played the song they played when they marched in the parade at the Christmas concert and that I DID record.