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Beyonce and Solange headed home to the Lone Star state for the Fourth of July! Decked out in patriotic colors, Bey, Solange, momma Tina and a group of close friends snapped classic photos while gathering in Texas for the holidays. Mrs. Carter, who often proudly declares her home from Houston, Texas, complimented and gave America a special birthday shout out on her official website, saying:

"Happy 236th Birthday America, you look beautiful.

Love,
B"

We hope Bey and Solange got a chance to peep the fireworks while in their home state. Check out the photos of Bey and her lovely friends and family in the personal photos below.

Beyonce made sure her younger sister Solange Knowles had a birthday to remember yesterday, inviting her to spend the weekend in London. The 'Countdown' singer has been supporting husband Jay-Z with his live European dates over the last month, including the end of his 'Watch The Throne' tour and his performance at the Hackney Weekend. Joining them over the weekend was Solange who celebrated her 26th birthday yesterday and appeared to be having a wild time with Beyonce, sharing a photo of them posing backstage at the Hackney Marshes. Last year, Beyonce gave Solange 25 pairs of shoes for every year of her life, although it isn't known what she surprised her with this year.

Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy has become an honourary citizen of Croatia's island of Hvar. The baby of the superstar parents has been granted the status after the region's officials heard that the inspiration for her name was taken from a tree wrapped in blue ivy on the island. Interest on the tourist hotspot has dramatically increased since the birth and the area was named as Lonely Planet's number 5 destination in 2012. A letter from Major Pjerino Bebic read: ''The story of the origin of the name of your daughter has brought enormous media attention and therefore tourist promotion to the town and island of Hvar. ''Because of this, I have decided to confer on your daughter the status of honourary citizen of the town of Hvar.'' The 30-year-old welcomed her first child with the rapper to the world five months ago.

Loving aunt Solange Knowles can’t stop gushing about her niece Blue Ivy Carter! The singer told HollywoodLife.com what it was like when she had her first glimpse of Beyoncé‘s baby girl when she was born in January! “It was beautiful!” Solange, 25 gushed to us at the June 21 Steve Aoki Trident Event. “I mean she’s such an angelic beautiful baby girl. I was there literally when she was born!” Solange then shared how Beyoncé also witnessed her (now 7-year-old) son Daniel Julez Smith, Jr. being born. “I’ve heard her over the years talk about how impactful that was in her life,” she said. “And then I totally understood that it is such a surreal amazing moment and it really, really puts life into perspective.”

Beyonce has given away subtle deets behind her four-month-old daughter Blue Ivy’s name. Rumours have floated about for months now to why Bey and Jay chose the colour blue for their tots name. Taking a break from her mummy and wifey duties, the singer took to her website to upload a sweet poem that breaks down the mystery behind the unique name. "Water is colorless, shallow water appears to be the color of whatever lies underneath it" "But deep water is full of this scatted light, the purer the water the deeper the blue," a snippet of the poem reads. You can read the full poem below.

New mom Beyonce, who gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy in January, knew there was no time to waste in slimming down as the May dates for her four-concert weekend in Atlantic City, NJ approached. Especially when the star would be squeezing her bod into custom-made Ralph & Russo designs, including a midriff-baring, fringed two-piece adorned with Swarovski crystals. "Y'all have no idea how hard I worked!" the 30-year-old exclaimed to her fans during her concert at Revel Beach's Ovation Hall Saturday night. "I had to lose 60 pounds. They had me on that treadmill. I ate lettuce!" And now that the superstar is halfway through her much-anticipated, post-baby concert return, she's celebrating. "Now tonight I'm gonna get chocolate wasted!" Jay-Z's wife told her fans. Saturday's show proved to be quite the star-studded event: Michella Obama and her daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, were in attendance. "They sat up in a private balcony with Gayle King. Michelle was jamming out to 'Crazy in Love,'" a concertgoer tells Us Weekly. "When Beyonce told the crowd to get up and jump, stood and started dancing and jumping. They were shouting when Beyonce asked, 'Do girls run the world?'" "Together, all three of them did the 'Single Ladies' dance moves," the concertgoer adds.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are reportedly set to spend the summer in London and have rented a posh townhouse to keep things 'homely' for baby Blue Ivy. According to The Sun, the pair have had enough of pricey hotels now that they're a family and have opted instead for a more permanent pad. The A-list couple will be busy in the UK this summer and are rumoured to have rented the five-bedroom West London property on the recommendation of showbiz pals Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow. A source told the paper: "Both Jay-Z and Beyoncé are going to be spending a lot of time in London over the next few months. "Jay is over here for his Watch The Throne Tour and Radio 1's Big Weekend, and Beyonce will be launching her perfume in Europe over the summer. "They wanted to have somewhere more homely now they are parents." They certainly won't feel out of place though because, as well as Chris and Gwynnie, the exclusive neighbourhood is home to the likes of Simon Cowell and Sir Richard Branson.

When she arrived at the hospital last January, Beyoncé came with the best of intentions for her daughter's delivery. "I did have a fresh eyebrow wax," PEOPLE's 2012 Most Beautiful Woman says with a laugh. "I got my nails done, I got my feet done, had my hair done, and I had my little lip gloss." But, in the end, Blue Ivy's birth trumped all the new mom's primping and prepping to meet her baby girl. "I didn't feel that I looked beautiful during birth, but who does? After being pumped with all those fluids and gaining so much weight ... I barely recognized myself," she explains. "But after many hours of labor, I could care less about anything but my child. I didn't care how I looked." The focus, she adds, was shifted to "the miracle" that she and husband Jay-Z welcomed into the world. "I felt more powerful than I've ever felt in my life," Knowles shares. "I felt connected to my body. I felt like I knew my purpose in the world." The singer says she gained 50 pounds during her pregnancy – putting on the last 20 during the final month leading up to the delivery – and was determined to bounce back after baby as soon as possible. "I lost most of my weight from breastfeeding and I encourage women to do it; It's just so good for the baby and good for yourself," Knowles, who breastfed Blue for 10 weeks, says. Then, "about a month after" giving birth, the new mom tackled the remaining pounds with a strict diet and exercise routine. "I counted calories. I worked out maybe three to four times a week," she shares. "I did a lot of walking in the beginning and now I'm running. But I had to work my way up. I couldn't just go right from being pregnant to running." All the hard work – including "staying away from anything delicious" and no cheat days – has paid off. "I'm proud that my waist came back so fast. I'm proud of that and happy, but that was mostly from the breastfeeding," the singer explains. And not only is Knowles just "three to four pounds" away from her pre-pregnancy weight, but she has also acquired a new softness about her voluptuous body. "My hormones are still in my body. Your body produces the hormones that make your body soft," she says. "It's just magical. It makes me so proud to be a woman because it's just unexplainable what happens to your body – it's incredible."

May 13 is set to be an extra special day for the Knowles family. On January 7, Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z welcomed daughter Blue Ivy Carter--meaning Sunday will be the singer's first time celebrating Mother's Day as a mom herself. At a charity event in NYC Wednesday, Blue Ivy's grandma Tina Knowles opened up to Us Weekly about the Knowles' big weekend plans. " all going to be together," Knowles gushed to Us. "We're excited because it's Beyonce's first Mother's Day." On their agenda? "I'm hoping to cook! I want to cook," the House of Dereon designer shared. "My traditional soul food and maybe gumbo. That's my favorite dish!" Knowles also spoke about her daughter's breathtaking Met Gala appearance Monday night. "She looked amazing," Knowles told Us about the Grammy Winner's lacy, Givenchy Haute Couture gown. "I think she looked absolutely amazing."

She's waxed lyrical about the joys of motherhood, proving she's not too shy to wear her love of her daughter on her sleeve. But it appears that Beyoncé has found another way to express her devotion to her new baby- in jewelry form. The 30-year-old posted a picture of herself on Tumblr wearing a silver necklace spelling Blue. Showing only her neck and part of her chest, the photo obscured Beyoncé's face, but gave away her curly honey-blonde hair, and showed her wearing a smart jacket with a silver and white top underneath. The star wore several other simple necklaces, but the Blue piece took centre spot. Beyonce also posted another photo of her with a different necklace.

Beyonce's husband Jay-Z loves it when the singer wears flat shoes. The 'Love On Top' hitmaker - who was recently named People Magazine's 'Most Beautiful Woman' - has had to ditch her heels since welcoming baby daughter Blue, much to her husband's delight. She said: "I never thought there would be a day when I wouldn't wear heels. "Now that I have a child, I walk around holding her all day, I'm buying loafers and oxfords. I love them because they're comfortable, and shorter heels too. " loves it when I wear flat shoes, which is surprising - he never saw me in flats before! He likes me more natural - just he relaxed, natural me." The down-to-earth first-time mother also reveals she shuns expensive stylists in favour of a bit of DIY when it comes to her hair. She told People Magazine: "I recently cut two inches myself - I just parted it in the middle and chh-chh-chh!" Having lost the majority of the baby-weight through breastfeeding, the singer is now working out three times a week and has embarked on a protein-based diet to help get her toned body back. She added: "I'm definitely softer, but I feel my body bouncing back."

BEYONCÉ is named PEOPLE’s World’s Most Beautiful Woman 2012 in the magazine’s special double issue, now celebrating its 23rd year. This marks the ninth time the pop superstar singer and actress has made the coveted list. She is joined by fellow “Most Beautiful Woman” Hall of Famers Julia Roberts (13 times), Nicole Kidman (10 times), and Mad Men’s breakout star, Jessica Paré, a newcomer to the list. The 178 fabulous faces featured in the issue also include such gorgeous guys as David Beckham, Blake Shelton, and Ashton Kutcher, plus PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive, Bradley Cooper. BEYONCÉ is an entertainment force of nature, a 16-time Grammy winner, a beauty and style icon – and is now proudest of the title that happens to be her most recent – mommy to little Blue Ivy Carter. "I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt because I’ve given birth," she tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. "I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth." The "Crazy in Love" singer, 30, and her husband of four years, Jay-Z, 42, have gone gaga for Blue, born Jan. 7 in New York City. "She's just the cutest thing," gushes BEYONCÉ, who croons one-of-a-kind tunes to her daughter and professes to "love" changing diapers. So who does her daughter most resemble? "She looks like Blue," says BEYONCÉ, who is back to her pre-baby weight and gearing up for her first post-baby concerts, Memorial Day weekend at the Revel Atlantic City. "She's her own person." "The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy," she adds. "The word 'love' means something completely different now." More of BEYONCÉs exclusive interview with PEOPLE, in which she shares her beauty secrets, reveals how she lost the baby weight and sets the record straight on all the rumors, is on newsstands Friday, April 27.

Jay-Z was pictured heading to Jacob & Co. yesterday on his fourth anniversary to Beyonce, so one can only hazard a guess as to what expensive gift that he got for his wife. The '99 Problems' rapper, who recently welcomed daughter Blue Ivy, was seen smiling and hugging it out with jeweller Jacob Arabo in New York yesterday. Jay-Z, 42, had a black SUV waiting outside the jewellery store but no package was seen as he bundled his way into the vehicle, just a bottle of water. Sources have told Us Weekly that Jay-Z had definitely bought something special for Beyonce. With insiders telling MailOnline that he was particularly taken with a selection of 'Lumina' rare blue diamonds. "I know he checked out coloured diamonds, the rare blue 'Lumina' in particular," they said.