Dancin' in the street

Yesterday was our block party. Great timing for us--we got to meet lots of neighbors and see just how many kids live in our new neighborhood. A couple of times, they kicked the big kids out of the bouncy-house so Rachel and some other little ones could go in. Once, when it was just Rachel, Daddy got in with her and helped her bounce around a bit. They had a good time. Rachel also won a bobbing-for-apples race! (Somewhat unclear on the concept, she stuck her hand in and grabbed an apple. Amazing that she beat all the kids with their faces in the water, trying to use their teeth!)

Perhaps the most fun, though, was dinnertime. There was a giant potluck, with long tables set up in the street. (It's interesting how puny long tables look when they're set up down the middle of even a small street!) And there was a band, which set up right in front of our house! It was two guys--one on guitar, and one on drums--and Rachel was very impressed. She couldn't take her eyes off them. She also did a little dancing, which was adorable (says her mother). She couldn't go all-out with the dancing, though, because that might have required taking her eyes off the band. (It's also possible that she was watching so carefully in order to mimic the movements of the guitarist, who was walking and bopping around a bit in front of the drum kit. Her dance steps look like that might have been her inspiration, but I was watching her, not the band, so I can't be sure.) They were still playing when we came inside, so Rachel got to take her bath accompanied by the sweet strains of the block party music. Very cool stuff.