The Difference A Year Can Make

*this time last year...my very first bump date! 

I've always associated having no plans over a holiday weekend with well, boring. Not exciting enough for us.

We're normally always on the go, especially on a holiday, so not being home is just something I've been used to. It was around 10:15pm on Saturday night that I realized this years 4th was our most simple one out of all the years in the past. No traveling, no extravagant plans to be on time for, no hip hopping around from here to there...it was just us at our home. We spent the long weekend really casually-Billy was able to get the day off on Friday so we went to the zoo with my stepmom, stepsister and her kids. Saturday we lounged around the pool with friends, took Cam swimming, fed him his first real food (sweet potatoes!), and after much debate we decided to forego going to the fireworks (someone was already in bed) and instead make a huge feast for the two of us to enjoy. I cooked up the yummiest crockpot bbq beer sandwiches, a tomato cucumber salad, corn on the cob, and a festive no bake cheesecake trifle recipe. I even managed at one point to convince our neighbor to take some family pictures of us (thanks Kristy!) So yeah, all in all...a pretty low key weekend.

But you know what? It was in that late night moment when I was sitting in Cam's room rocking him, after his last feeding for the day, that it hit me.  It couldn't have been the more perfect way to spend our first 4th of July with our son. I started thinking about all the men and women who fight for our freedom day in and day out and how much they would love to just be sitting at home spending the time with their family. I squeezed Cam a little tighter as I thought about how much they sacrifice for us on an everyday basis and at the thought of not getting to spend a holiday with him.

We went to bed that evening only seeing fireworks on our T.V (okay, some in our neighborhood too) but for once, that was completely okay. It was more than okay, actually. It was everything. Quality time with my family and nothing more. One full heart, that's for sure...

So yeah, the whole no plans thing...I welcome you (and more "boring" times) in my life. More holidays like this one, please!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well, big plans or not! :)