A couple of weekends ago, I had a wonderful weekend.  My sister and her fiancé came to visit so that they could babysit while Dan and I went to a wedding.  It was a long weekend, so my husband was home for an extra day.  We got together with family lots and just had an altogether great time, despite the fact that Cam was teething.

It was Natal Day Weekend in Halifax, which is essentially an excuse to celebrate our province and get a day off.  Oh yeah, and a parade.  And fireworks.

I used to work in the service industry, which meant that I worked most holidays.  Canada Day fireworks?  I missed them to serve people coffee at Starbucks one year, and wait tables the next.  Santa Claus parade?  Yup, I was serving people.  I missed out on a lot of fun celebrations because I was making other people’s celebrations better.

But now, I’m a Mom.  I have a kid.  And kids like parades.

Well, at least I think they do.  Cameron has never been to a parade.  Cameron has never seen fireworks.

Well – he hadn’t until Natal Day.

I was so excited to introduce my son to these exciting things.  Sure, they may be hokey.  And maybe Flax Boy isn’t the most exciting mascot to be waiting for in a parade.  But, we are starting to encourage the importance of family time with our son.  We are starting to encourage the love of community.

Like all good holiday weekends, this one came to a close with fireworks.  I was determined to go see them.  You see, I missed Canada Day fireworks this year because it was past my son’s bedtime.  And so, I laid in bed listening to the bangs and pops, knowing that there was an amazing show happening just a five minute walk down the road.

On the night of Natal Day, we got Cameron snuggled into his stroller and as a family we walked to the lakeside.  We sat on the shore by a beach and waited.  Cam was so excited to be outside.  He watched little kids run and jump and dance around us, and then he decided he wanted to jump and dance too.

Finally it got dark enough for the fireworks to start.  I was nervous.  It was past Cameron’s bedtime.  Would we have a meltdown?  Fireworks are loud.  Would they scare my baby?

Cameron loved them.  At the first crack, he startled and looked around for the source of the sound.  And there, in the sky, was the best light he had ever seen.  It was so neat.  He smiled really big.  He started bouncing.

Watching the joy on my Cameron’s face as he experienced these new things made them so much more exciting for me too.  I love exploring the world anew with my son.