Happy Birthday America!

4th of July has always been a special holiday to me!  Growing up with both parents in the military meant that there was always a special respect for this amazing country and all that goes into protecting her freedom.  The food, fireworks, & fun have just always been a deep rooted celebration of all that being an American really means. 

{i pray they grow to understand how blessed we are to celebrate July 4th & what it really means!}

And then i grew up and married a man in uniform. (which i always swore i would never do....haha!)  And now?  This holiday means even more.  Close to 2 years of our almost 8 years of marriage has been spent apart while he was away protecting every freedom we all enjoy.  Its an honor and privelege in my book that God has called me to the role of a military wife.  That i get to support my husband as he works so very hard every single day, home or deployed, he works so hard!  As do the majority of those he's blessed to serve alongside! 

{colby snapped a quick pic of us! gotta love the end of the day tired, no more make up look....;)}

Part of the military life is that most of the time you don't have family nearby to spend holidays with which can be a bummer at times.  But God has been faithful to bless us with great friends at each duty station and we got to celebrate with some of those friends yesterday!  We bbq'ed, ate, laughed, & let the kiddos run wild!!  Everyone headed home before dark because the babies were getting tired, so we got Dylan to bed and then headed outside to do some small fireworks w/ the big boys!

  {the babies ~ Dylan (11months), Kara (12months) & Bryce (16months)}

 {silly boys watching the fireworks}

{sparkler wars!}

It was a fun filled day of reflection on why we celebrate and what it is that we're celebrating!  God bless this great country and each & every soldier, sailor and airman that sacrifice so very much to defend and protect our freedom!!

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

~Galatians 5:13~