I was so excited for the Fourth of July this year, just because I was really looking forward to having a whole extra day to spend with my buddy! We also had been invited to a picnic with some friends, so how could we not have fun?

Whenever I have to bring something to share, I love taking the opportunity to experiment with my cake-decorating skills. I even made a recipe for white cake that I had never tried before! Everyone loved the cupcakes, and I have to say, I think I am finally mastering that traditional “frosting swirl”.

I love how these turned out.

We had a great time at the picnic, despite the crazy heat!

A silly-face photo is almost always required.

There were even HUGE freezie pops, and you know how much we love those.

We were going to go to the town parade (I’ve never been before and wanted to check it out), but we didn’t really leave the picnic in time to go, and this tired and hot pregnant lady ended up taking a nap instead. Oops.

We did make it to the fireworks, though! I had an especially fun time photographing them, since this is the first year I had a tripod! Here are some of my favorite shots.

After fireworks, we played with sparklers! It’s practically a tradition in my family on the Fourth of July, so I couldn’t resist getting some when we were at the store. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow running around and waving them like crazy. This year I tried writing some things with the long exposure.

God Bless America!