Photographing Fireworks and the 4th

Before AJ and I went to see the fireworks at Singing Beach I researched how to get the best photos on the manuel setting... since I am still a beginner with my Canon Rebel I decided to take a pros advice on a setting that he said works pretty well:

Shutter speed 4 seconds (waaaay longer than anything I'd ever used)

Aperture 5.6" (although I just read that between f/8 and f/16 is good)

100 ISO

I got all of these photos with this setting but, I also had a bunch of blurry ones as well. Every website I read said to have your camera on a tripod but I instead held mine and rested my arms on the arms of my beach chair.

We had our fireworks on the 3rd so the next morning we put Drew in his little red and white preppy outfit for the parade. Last year was a complete failure and he screamed his head off. This year was only slightly better. Why in the world do the parade organizers think it is fun to have sirens blasting full force for the first 10 minutes of the parade?

This was before the maham and taking Drew back home (we live right off the parade route so it wasn't a big deal).

Aren't those the cutest little sneakers? My mom snagged them at Old Navy for $6! His feet were a little too chubby to get the laces to tie. :)

It's hard getting a decent family photo...

AJ's head is cut off.

My hair is soaking wet.

Drew is wiggling and crying to get down.

:)

You know what I've forgotten to tell you?

Meredith is out of the hospital and rehab (post about all of that, including an interview with her on Tuesday).

Here is Meredith, AJ, Kerry, April and Drew Baby.

At five we headed over to my parents' house for a cookout. Didn't my mom do a cute job on her front porch?

Their house reminds me so much of the Father of the Bride house.

I used these hydrangeas for the arrangements for the luncheon for my close girlfriends the day of our wedding.

Then my mom used them for her table on the fourth in cute little red pots!

Mom went all out... the food was fab and we stuffed ourselves...

but I always leave room in my dessert stomach... especially when Kim tells me it involves brownies. :)

The recipe for this delectable treat will hopefully be on the blog tomorrow.

Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth!

My blogging has been sporadic this week because our computer / internet has been acting bizarre. Sorry!