evie's first sparkler

party time! 
this fourth of july was quite different from last year's. evie was just seven months old last year, and she fell asleep at 6:30 on the dot every night. jeff and i were stuck at home, on the front porch of our tiny dead-end street hoping to catch a glimpse of a fireworks display in the distance (we didn't), slaves to our daughter's sleep schedule. this year, evie's a much older and more sophisticated 18-month-old who stays up until—get this!—7:30pm, so we got to enjoy a big barbecue dinner with friends and sparklers before the sun went down. since last year, we've learned the value of putting evie to sleep in the portable pack-n-play (at friends' houses or wherever) so we can stay up late and party—or watch an awesome fireworks show. that pack-n-play and white noise machine of ours are genius.

besides the giant fireworks display directly overhead, one of the night's highlights was this six-layer ombre cake. it was creative, pretty and delicious. i may or may not have had two very large pieces.