We have gone to Kansas for the 4th of July the last couple years. And I’ll tell you, those are some of my favorite Independence Days to date (2020 & 2021)! The fireworks is really what makes it so magical (and the photos so idyllic) because we can’t do those here in Colorado! But also just spending the day and the couple days surrounding it with our best friends resulted in lots of memories and good times in hot & sticky Kansas!

These pictures are NOT in Kansas. We broke our tradition because our best friends (the ones we would visit in Kansas) no longer live there. They live in…. (drum roll please)… Colorado Springs! YAY! Now we don’t have to travel to see them, we can just call them up and see them all. the. time!

But with a (very welcome) change like that comes the need for a new holiday tradition. We discovered for the first time that Rock Ledge Ranch has a 4th of July event similar to the Harvest Festival we go to every year. Naturally, it felt like a good fit to try it out! And with me being a thousand months pregnant in the middle of summer (due date at the end of the month!), something we didn’t have to commit a lot of time or driving to was ideal!

I have to say, it was so much fun! My sister and her husband joined us (because they also just moved back!!!) and we had a lot of fun time together as family making memories. We ate pie, played barn games, won prizes, listened to live bands, and looked adorable in red, white, and blue. Next year baby boy will be with us celebrating our independence and the girls will be bigger, but I am pretty sure we will be back here! Because this feels like a good new tradition!

Happy Independence Day!

Oh and here are some photos from the film camera. I’m really seeing a lack of definition and depth in these photos so that is something we need to work on when it comes to shooting film. But it is still so fun to learn. Getting better one day at a time!