A Festive Fourth

We had a great 4th of July this year.  Everyone stayed up for fireworks (thanks to an afternoon nap) and the weather was pretty great.  We tried some new traditions (4th of July parade and 4th of July golf tournament) and enjoyed several tried and true traditions (festive food, country club, swimming and fireworks).

I love Funfetti cake mix.  We called this combo Firework Funfetti and made a special sprinkle blend to put on top.  I'm trying hard to use up things I have on hand instead of always buying new.  I didn't have any red, white and blue sprinkle mixes when the 4th rolled around.  Instead of running to the store to buy something new, I opted to get creative and use what I have.  I loved it and feel inspired to do that more often.

We also delivered cupcakes to neighbors for the 4th.  It was a great way to share a yummy treat and spread the 4th of July cheer.  One set of neighbors is elderly so we time our dessert drop offs when they've got visitors to help them answer the doors.  The others all have young kids so we try to share kid friendly treats with them.

Lots of swimming!  We love these noodles with ridges - they're so easy to hold onto.

4th of July Parade.
My kids were up early so we put on our red, white and blue and headed downtown.  We bumped into some friends and found a shady spot to watch the parade.  Kevin was asked to play in the club golf tournament so he headed there while we headed to the parade.

It was really festive and fun!

We brought flags to wave.  That just seemed like the right accessory to bring.

Parade ready!  Catch that candy!

Police, horses, jeeps, fair queens and donkeys paraded through the streets.

The kids were really excited to see this group of fair queens!  They were so sweet.

We headed to the country club for snow cones, bounce houses, swimming, dinner and fireworks.

These cray kids had at least 3 snow cones.  Good thing they were kid sized :)

We watched fireworks on the golf course and really enjoyed the show.  What a fun 4th with big kids!