Just Own the Night Like the 4th of July

This year, we took Duncan to his first fireworks display. Because he's pretty sensitive to the effects of sleep deprivation, we haven't wanted to keep him out that late at night; however, this summer, he has shown a slightly improved ability to sleep in so we thought it would be worth a try. Our original plan was to stay overnight in Sturbridge, watch the fireworks display at Old Sturbridge Village on the 3rd, and then spend the 4th at Old Sturbridge Village, soaking in the history. At the last minute, the fireworks were canceled at Old Sturbridge because one of their possible launch sites was flooded from early July rains; the other had been destroyed in a tornado. Instead, we took Duncan to Lime Rock Park. We had a nice picnic and were entertained by the cast of Rent from Sharon Playhouse. There was a visiting group of hearing impaired children from a summer camp, and it was heartwarming to watch as their counselors jumped into signing the songs for the kids. One of the counselors stole the show; Jamie thought he was part of the cast at first. He knew the songs well and added so much emotion that he seemed like he had rehearsed with them. Actually, I was really impressed with those counselors. While they were waiting for the sun to go down, they quickly got the kids involved in races rolling down the hill, leapfrog, and, of course, singing Katy Perry's "Firework," on repeat.

Finally, the sun went down; it was a struggle for Duncan to stay awake, but he enjoyed the fireworks immensely.