The Fourth of July weekend was a time of firsts for my kids. At ages three and four-and-a-half, they are finally old enough to sit through a movie and stay up past bedtime. I was seriously tempted to take my daughter to see Tangled this spring for her first movie experience but knew there was no way my son would sit through two hours of watching a girl comb her hair.

The next toddler blockbuster was Cars 2, and our entire family has been waiting with eager anticipation for the launch date of June 24th.

Opening weekend is typically very crowded, so we waited until the holiday weekend to bring the kids to the movies. It turns out that every other toddler parent in Hoboken had the same idea; the entire audience at the 2:30 p.m. Cars 2 screening at Hoboken Clearview Cinemas was comprised of toddlers having their first movie experience with their parents snapping pictures of them throughout the film. With a room full of toddlers, everyone was very tolerant of the flashes going off and occasional infant crying. There was also plenty of seating so all the families got to sit together.

Recapping their movie experience occupied my kids for the next day and a half (the theater popcorn made a big impression on them) until we took them down to the Hoboken waterfront to experience their first live fireworks. I brought picnic blankets, snacks and our portable DVD player to distract them before the fireworks began; we secured good seating near the railing by Second Street but still had our view partially obstructed by a tree. That and the crowds of people with children sitting on their shoulders

My daughter loved seeing the brilliant multicolored explosions but my son got tired midway through the production and retreated to the familiar comfort of his stroller to play with his glowstick necklace (thank you, Target dollar section, for saving me from the endless glowstick vendors). If the fireworks are on the Hudson River next year I am heading uptown to view them; a friend stood in front of Turning Point restaurant and had three fireworks barges directly in front of her. It was also a lot less crowded than the downtown waterfront.

The kids have been talking about the fireworks nonstop since seeing them live, with my son doing a pretty good hissing impression. One of my favorite things about being a parent is I get to reexperience childhood through them. And the best part? I got to stay local to give my children these profound new experiences.

To read more about what makes Kathy Zucker tick, check out her blog at http://momcondoliving.com/ and follow her at http://twitter.com/kathyzucker