Blessings: Third grade state float and parade

On Friday, November 30 Bradyn, along with all of his classmates participated in the annual 3rd grade state parade. Each child in his class and the other two third grade classes got to pick a state to research and create a float on. Bradyn chose North Carolina. He was so excited that he got North Carolina, because we were able to visit there back in 2011. Over the last month or so, we spent some time researching North Carolina, and Bradyn wrote a letter to the secretary of state of NC to ask if she could send him anything to put on his state float. He was tickled when, a few weeks later, a large manila envelope arrived in the mailbox with his name on it!!

While I was gone on the Lotterman sisters shopping trip, Bradyn and daddy worked on the float, and that following week we put the finishing touches on it. We brought it to school on Thursday afternoon, and then headed back to school on Friday morning for the actual parade.

I didn't realize that it was such a big deal until I arrived at school and had to park at the end of the driveway because there were so many spectators there to watch!! I walked into school, and found the hallways PACKED with students by their lockers waving little flags, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends of all the students in the third grade.

Calvin and I found an open spot and waited for the parade to begin. It turned out to be pretty neat with "patriotic" music playing over the intercom system and everything! The three third grade teachers each dressed up as a special person from a state. There was Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan and Lady Liberty. After the parade wound through the school hallways two times, the students and their floats made their way to the gym, where parents could get pictures of their child and see the floats a little better. All in all I think Bradyn had fun, although I could tell he was quite nervous, and didn't really enjoy having to be in front of so many people.