Friends, Family, and Fireworks

4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  As a kid, I loved going to the local park and watching the big fireworks displays. I looked forward to it every year.  Even in my 20's, I would get together with my friends and/or family to go watch the fireworks.  So now that I have children of my own, I love that I get to relive those days through them.  It fills me up with warm fuzzies inside. 

It was a picture perfect year for fireworks at the park.  The weather was a perfect 85 degrees with low humidity.  We met our friends early, in our usual spot by the lake shore.  We enjoyed a picnic feast, relaxed, and played around until dark.  

There was Corn Hole....

And spooky stories with best friends....

And, of course, the fireworks didn't disappoint! 

Our celebration didn't end there.  On Friday, we traveled to Gabe's hometown for our annual Schnelle family 4th of July bash at my brother-in-law's family ranch.  It's a great time with family.  The girls had a blast playing baseball, looking at the horses and cows, and hanging out with their cousins...

Big and small...

Then we settled in for more fireworks.  We had some pretty late nights but the girls handled it like champs! It was a wonderful weekend and very hard to come back to reality. 

What a difference a year makes! 

2012: 

2013:

I love my little firecrackers!!

How was your 4th of July celebration?  What traditions do you have? 

Don't forget to follow us