Summer Time

I realized that my last few posts have been kind of negative (sad, angry, stressed, etc). I'm working on a new Happy List post, but having issues with getting my photos onto the appropriate devices in order to make it happen, so that's a few days off still.

In the meantime, I'm feeling really excited about summer and all the fun opportunities to be outside. I love experiencing things through Nathan's eyes and watching him interact with new situations. He is turning into quite the little fish... he loves any sort of water-related activity. He has a water table and kiddie pool, both of which continue to get lots of use with the warmer weather. He's also happy to just play with a hose or sprinkler. There is a splash pad at the zoo where we are members, and he had a ball running around there the last time we went. There's also a couple of small water park options near our house (one of which is specifically geared towards younger children) so we're planning to take full advantage of those this year (especially while he's under 2 and still FREE admission). I was a pool-rat and swam competitively as a kid, so I'm loving watching him develop a love of the water as well.

Aside from water activities, we're really trying to get out and about and be more active as a family. There are plenty of areas for hiking in our area. In addition, Paul cleaned up his bike and we got a free kiddie cart from a friend so now he and Nathan can go for rides whenever they want. I'm sort of toying with the idea of training for a mini-triathlon, but I just found out about it and the date is only a month away. Not sure if I can manage that! There's also a stroller-5K in September, which I think would be fun to do as a family. Again, I hate running. But if the focus of the race is less on times and competition and more about fun and quality time, then I can probably make myself run :)

We're also starting to work with a new dog trainer (or "canine behaviorist" as she calls herself) to help get our lab in shape for more public, family outings. He's a great dog and loves everyone, but he needs some work on how to behave better when there are lots of people/other dogs around (right now he gets over-stimulated and it becomes stressful for everyone involved). We had our first session with her last night, and so far it's going really well. I'm hopeful that once we get him behaving better we can bring him along for more adventures. He hates the cold and snow, so summer time is definitely the time to take advantage of that.

And lastly, there's the garden. I finally have everything planted and some of it has sprouted too. My tomato plants have tiny green tomatoes growing, so that's fun. It was a really late start to the season, but now that it's on track I'm ready for some garden food! I can't wait to show Nathan the plants and see him try things fresh from the garden as they ripen.

Whatever else is going on in my life right now, summer is HERE and I'm determined to enjoy it while it lasts!