4th of July Fun!!

Aaaah... Summer is finally here!! WAHOO! I LOVE summer and I LOVE the fourth of July!! This year, we bought tickets to the show at University of Redlands (U of R). They put on a remarkable show that lasts for hours!
It started off with bands playing and lots of singing and dancing which of course Maletch just LOVED and then of course it ended with a fireworks display. Thousands of people that didn't buy tickets gathered nearby to watch the fireworks part of the show for free. But only with the tickets could we go inside the stadium and see it all!
We chose to sit on the field with our blankets, ice chest, and all of our supplies, but "the stands" were available for people that chose them as well. Most people on the field had their own chairs, but not us, because that was more to carry!
One thing we missed due to parking delays was a "fly over" by the Air Force with the C-17 (which is the plane that John works on). We were a little disappointed about that, but we still had a great time.
While we were walking around Maletch spotted (pointed out) every balloon "boon" in the crowd and he walked up to a group of people that had a balloon tied to a stroller, and he tried to TAKE it!! When I pulled him away he got upset and started yelling "BOON!", "BOON!" Poor baby wanted a balloon! So we walked around with the mission to figure out who was selling balloons- with as much stuff as they had, nobody was selling balloons. So we had to wait until after the show to take him to the store to get him one.
John and I were worried Maletch might be scared of the fireworks since they are so loud and we were so close to the stage- NOPE! As soon as they started he got so excited, his face lit up and he said, "WOW!" The noise didn't bother him at all and he just LOVED the fireworks! He stood in excitement at first and then decided to get comfy and lie down so he could look up facing the bright lights.
Also to our surprise, in such an enormous crowd (the place was PACKED)- Maletch was so happy and comfortable. John and I were worried about the crowd, in keeping him from running off and getting lost or kidnapped- so we kept a really tight hold of him, which he didn't seem to mind! My favorite part of the show was watching my son's face, while he watched everything, it was spectacular and I can still remember each of his expressions and I hope I never forget that wonder in his eyes- it was magical!
We all really enjoyed the music they played during the show. At times they played disco (which I can't stand) but Maletch really liked it and danced to it- so that made it tolerable for me. But during the fireworks they played a lot of patriotic songs that were very touching and beautiful and of course we rocked out to "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen (I love that song!) and "God Bless the USA" and many other favs!
And yes, you will see in the slideshow, that in the end Maletch got his balloon, actually he got 4, including a cool flag shaped one! Hey, mommy never breaks a promise! Maletch got to stay up extra late that night, about 4-5 hours past his bedtime! We thought he would fall asleep at some point but he didn't want to miss anything!
Gosh, we have so many good pics from that night! I threw a few in the slideshow below, but I may have to add to it later.