i dream of eugenie

On Saturday, we gathered with family & friends for the annual Eugene Celebration Parade (the theme this year was I Dream of Eugenie)! We try to make it every year & often get to enjoy it with a big group. This year, the group included Gretchen, Ronan, Griffin, Becca, Sadie, Cohen, Memaw, Papa, Carolyn, Jesse, Carolyn's dad (Dave) & step-mom (Deena), Kenton, Finley & me! Last year, Finn was just 10 months old & not as aware of the whole event. This year, I started talking to him about the parade the night before & telling him about the different things he might see.

Kenton & I were pretty amazed with how well he sat & watched everything. He was very serious the whole time & barely said two words.

This backhoe certainly kept his attention. From the moment he saw it, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. We watched his eyes follow it into the very distance & only once it was out of sight did he shout "At-Oh!" (Finn's word for backhoe) with a huge grin. :)

The Eugene Celebration Parade is not your typical parade. This is the Chinese Dragon style Slug that makes an appearance every year. Also, a new "Slug Queen" is crowned each year & it's quite an honor! There is a lot of poking fun at Oregon + local & national politics. We were amazed this year at how many alternative grade schools were represented in the parade. I always get a little excited when I see my high school marching band + my former crew team. Fun fun!

I loved experiencing the parade with my boy. He's getting so big!

Carolyn enjoyed some snuggle time with Finn too. It's hard to keep him still usually, but not a problem at the parade!

We've been to the parade many times with Carolyn & Jesse. It was great to have them back this year (we missed them last year while they were in Azerbaijan!)