Wheels and Wagons 2014

We watched and waited for months for Wheels and Wagons 2014, an event we have attended faithfully since 2011. Every year it reminds me how much there is to love about having kids in this town. W&W 2014, occurring Saturday, May 31 this year, did not disappoint.

I mean how could it? It has trucks!

We usually have to wrestle Adele out of the car if we ever let her get to the steering wheel. Here she could pretend to drive to her tiny heart's content.

Finally, the long-awaited helicopter landing:

This always thrills the kids.

His turn to sit in the 'copter. Contemplating acts of heroism, I'm sure. 

There was a wandering princess! Adele admired her from afar but would not approach; Miles walked right up and asked for a picture. She kept picking him out in the crowds later & sharing a wink and a wave. He admired her greatly.

Each year, they have a coloring "contest" where kids illustrate transportation vehicles and they get as many as possible of them onto the side of a bus the next year. All year long we've been chasing down this bus with Adele's & Miles' 2013 work.

Adele proudly points to A-d-e-l-e

Miles' 2013 pic included a bus, a bicycle, and a polar bear. Don't ask; none of us know why. 

It is necessary at a fair to have a large inflated jumpable object, right? 

We finally connected with Miles' best friend from daycare, Aaliyah, whom we'd invited along and who brought her grandma and brother to enjoy the festivities.

Aaliyah smiled biggest on the jump house. 

She's sturdy enough to really enjoy this and not just get knocked about, now. 

They let the kids paint the snowplows. Isn't this brilliant??

What a gorgeous sight, all these littles with their oversized smocks making brilliant colors on utilitarian machinery.

Wasn't too easy to get them away, I can tell you. 

A couple of goodbye shots. Miles & Aaliyah were playground and daycare buddies all year and they'll miss each other. A sweet person at their daycare took photos of them, laminated them and labeled them and each kid got a copy of their "best friend" photo. Miles' is above his bed. He has wandered with not a lot of awareness into a new phase of life: no more daycare and no more preschool for this kid.

Kindergarten begins August 12.

Here we go!