Steamboat Days Parade

 

The note said the parade was scheduled to start at 12:31pm so the kids marching for Team Vogel Vs Cancer needed to meet at the Kwik Trip on Mankato at 11:31am.  As is often the case we rushed out the door with me barking at the kids while they sauntered to the car looking at ants and kick balls and long lost Pokémon cards that had suddenly reappeared on the garage floor.  And having another kid in tow delayed the process slightly as we had to clean out the back of the Mazda and make room for another booster seat.  But even though we were late and had to park 5 or 6 blocks away from the staging area, I was having one of those days where I thought "I'm being a good mom.  I'm calm.  I'm flexible.  I'm patient.  I've got this."  Sam and Nathan ran ahead and waited at every corner and Eva took in the sights of the Winona neighborhood east of Mankato, pointing out every puppy and flower and black and white kitty along the way.

 

At Kwik Trip we found the Y group and asked Bailey if she could carry Sam's epi-pen along so Eva and I could find a spot along the parade route to watch.  "I would love to," she said, and I gave Sam a kiss and a hug and snapped a few photos before dragging a reluctant Eva back to the car.

 

With nearly an hour to kill before the parade started, we parked near the end of the route and wandered around, making several trips to the port-a-potty on the corner and settling in a spot near the Post Office.  Dark skies threatened to rain us out and everyone rushed for cover during a wet windy blast that lasted a few minutes.  "I guess we won't need sunscreen," a woman in a camp chair near the curb said, and moments later blue sky appeared to the west and the sun started beating down on us.

 

Eva was a trooper, sitting patiently on the curb and anticipating the floats, but by the time the actual parade arrived she was tired and ready to go home.  She was mostly impressed with the princesses and the horses and the bands with fancy drums, but her favorite group was Team Vogel Vs. Cancer and their tie dye shirts and the handful of candy her big brother had been saving for her for several blocks.