Independence Day, Minus One

Saint Louis has a fantastic Independence Day festival each year: two-three days of concerts, dances, air shows, and fireworks featured at the Arch. This year's festival starred Counting Crows, one of Krystal's favorite bands, so the Whomptons trekked out to downtown last night to watch. Raina danced and sang and played with a glow necklace and loved the fireworks. Actually, when we told her that we were going to see fireworks and a band, she immediately started quoting Olivia Forms a Band -- wanting to know what type of band and if we were taking our watermelon and sandwiches. She thought it was hilarious we were seeing a rock band, not a fireworks band.

We also took Raina in the Arch -- underneath it, actually -- so she could see the Westward Expansion Museum. She delighted in the covered wagons and the "peaceful mission" coins but was terrified of the robotic, talking mannequins. In her own words: "they freaked me out!"

Lola also experienced her first concert. She slept through the opening band, woke up for the headliners, played and watched people for a bit, happily nursed, and then checked out the fireworks.