Officially summer

In case any of you were wondering if it was really summer yet, at our house it sure seems like it. I don't think I've ever spent as much time outside in my life as I have so far this warm season. Katy wants to be outside all the time, and it's so readily available, so we go. Plus there are so many organized outdoor activities that are kid-friendly. Just in the last week we've been to a BBQ, the Rose Festival, the zoo, the pool, the park, and of course some good old fashioned playing-in-the-yard. You'd think she would be more tired after all that playing in the sun, but she seems to have more energy than ever. These pictures were taken the night before the Rose Festival, while they were setting up. The flowers were truly amazing.

Brian and I have been debating about another house project. It stems from the fact that we have no backyard, a little strip of a side yard, and a fairly reasonable front yard that butts up to a well-trafficked corner. This means that we cannot be physically more than 2 feet away from Katy at all times when she is playing outside. So we are thinking about building a fence all the way around the front yard, including the tenants' side. In case you need a visual, imagine a white picket fence, level around the high point of the hill.

This way Katy would have some space to play (still supervised, of course) without fear of her tumbling down the hill/stairs into the street. Of course, there are a couple barriers to this plan: one is figuring out if this can be fit into the budget, and the other is that Brian still has that bum shoulder (minor detail, right?). I don't think he's going to be building much of anything for a little while. So we may have to put this off, but we've been talking circles around it.

Katy also has a new favorite activity: whenever Brian or I are sitting cross-legged on the floor, she runs over to one of her baskets full of board books, carefully makes a selection, and then crashes into our laps. What cracks me up even more is that she has favorite books (any that have flaps or different textures to feel). I find myself saying, "Let's pick out a different book," but she usually insists on one of the Usborne's or My Promise Rainbow (with over 25 flaps). The "reading" is pretty short lived. Right now she is interested in turning the pages and occasionally pointing to the pictures to have us name the items, but that's about it. But I'm just thrilled that she's so interested in books at all. We'll start from there.