July 4, is a big celebration in the USA and being across the world the American Expats have done a great job of making it special for the kids and the Americans. An annual Olympia compound tradition is to have a July 4th parade. The kids ride bikes, scooters, or motorized cars or even walk around the loop of the neighborhood led by the neighborhood firetruck. Those without kids camp out on their lawn and wave as the parade goes walk by. This is a special event for the kids, they are happy to have some sense of normalcy, especially during this crazy year. The kids decided to decorate the street in front of our home with chalk in anticipation of the event.
All the kids gathering at the community center getting ready for the parade - with the fire truck behind ready to lead the way!
On the parade route - people go all out- decorated wagons, strollers and bikes... anything to have a bit of fun around here! 
Some neighbors outfront enjoying the parade and waving to the kids!
Sweet Luca in his decked out stroller
Carter and his friend Sophia
Lilly and her girls - Olivia and Sophia
All the guys that marched in the parade.
After we boiled shrimp and crabs to celebrate some of our friends birthdays
My Louisiana girl Riley enjoying the seafood with her good friend Hailey
Dave - one of the birthday boys in the middle checking out the massive feast
Lilly with the Russian Crabs - they are just amazing and everywhere and have so much meat!
Riley and Carter with Friends on the trampoline enjoying the beautiful weather
Ian and Dave the two birthday boys! Great friends and awesome people
The ladies of Olympia!
For school Riley had been studying fashion in IPC and was tasked to make an outfit out of a trash bag, so she made a wedding dress. Super creative!
Post workout wine drinking with some of the homeschooling moms - drinking our stress away!
Oh my kids - of course I live in a compound and I am the HR manager with a significant role in the community. My kids went out to play, found a can of spraypaint in one of the sheds and thought it was a good idea with their friends to spraypaint one of the neighbors porches. Another time when work and home intersect and I am mortified. Nothing like all your coworkers realizing you raise kids that are destroying property - company property that is.
This guy has always been a snuggle bug and I love every minute of it!
Reading time with this handsome fella
One of the hardest parts of expat life is saying goodbye to friends. Hailey is Riley's best friend and she is going back to the USA. Riley is so upset, I have never seen her this emotional.
Carter has formed a great friendship with Hailey's younger brother Connor - and he was also super sad to see him go, but far less emotional than Riley
Such good friends, good thing they are going back to Texas, so its goodbye for now, not forever!
I bought this painting from a local Russian Artist for Riley - its a beautiful butterfly
From the same Artist I bought carter this elephant - he loved it
Enjoying fun with friends in the TCC - a night of food and drinks - ending with the group singing karaoke
More friends/neighbors/coworkers enjoying the night
The ladies, with masks
And then without
Let the singing begin!
More trampoline fun
The weather has been great, so the kids are outside collecting Russian bugs! Why not? Good way to learn biology when being homeschooled!
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