Sum Sum Summerfest

We recently passed the high holy day of the Morningstar summer - Orem Summerfest!

If you know us, you know we really like our house. Yeah, 6 people in 1,700 square feet is cozy, but it has a great yard, convenient location and lots of open space for romping and entertaining. But the very best part of our home is that it's close to Orem Center Street Park, giving us perfect front-row access to Orem Summerfest.

The advent of Summerfest season brings so many good things: junk food, puke-o-whirl rides, and staying up late for the parade and fireworks. It's the perfect summer trifecta of awesomeness/queasiness.

Quawesomeness?

The children prepare for their second ride on the Gravitron. Second. Ugh. Makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.

They emerge unsullied. They say it's fun. These words make no sense to me.

They like the puke-o-whirl rides. They make faces at roasted corn. I do not understand these children.

Admittedly, it's impossible to choose one favorite element of the Summerfest Weekend of Wonder. But if I had to pick just one best thing it would have to be the Children's Parade. Before the main parade, the neighborhood kids decorate their bikes and scooters, line up a block away from our house, and ride pell mell down the middle of Center Street the two blocks to the local grocery store, get sugared up with free popsicles, and are sent back to their parents waiting along the parade route. It's fantastic.

The girls exhibited some particularly nice decorative flair this year with their streamers and buntings. They were so fast I actually missed them coming down the street on their first pass, so I had them reconstruct their first ride in all its glory (but slower speeds) post-popsicle.

But the true winner of this year's Summerfest Children's Parade was clearly Ben. All decked out with his sparkly vest, hat, and bow tie and complimented by Uncle Sam goatee and Birkenstocks, he was the very picture of... well... the general bizarrity that almost always accompanies any Morningstar family activity.

And we couldn't be prouder.

Summer, we officially welcome you!