How does your family celebrate the 4th of July? We enjoyed a nice day at home with family. The kids were able to play in their kiddie pool and play some games. We had lots of water fun with water guns, squirters and even a water balloon toss. My sweet, little 3 year old really enjoyed his day. He was wiped out!

We had an early dinner but, whoa, so much food! There were brats and burgers, fresh fruit, deviled eggs, pasta salad, baked beans, cookies and strawberry pretzel dessert. Yum!

After dark, we lit up some glow sticks and played with sparkers. My daughter found an idea for a glow jar on Pinterest, so we made a couple. They came out great!

I enjoy playing with photography. It’s been a while since I pulled out the “good” camera and went into manual mode. I never realized how much I missed it! One of my favorite types of photography is night photography. I think we got some good shots.

I think we all fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. I love the simple days that we spend together. What makes your family celebrations special?