A Sampling of Summer

It seems no one blogs very much during summer. At least in our case, we're so busy enjoying the weather and getting outside, reading good books, BBQing with friends, going to weddings, and visiting family that blogging ceases to become a priority.

However, in the process I do manage to snap a couple entertaining photos. So I thought I'd share as way of an update.

In June I found the Bean (or Bug, as she's beginning to be known) a great pair of sunglasses that she fell in love with. I didn't know how much she liked them until one morning about a week later. Mike and I were sitting on the couch waking up to Luci's morning requisite, Sesame Street. We heard a noise and turned to see the Bean walking out of the kitchen toward the TV, sunglasses on, drinking away.

My grandparents, affectionately deemed Nana and Papa, have spent quite a bit of time at our house since Luci was born. In late June they came up for about 10 days and Nana introduced Luci to the world of stickers. That went over with a bang. The Bean has the motor skills of a kid twice her age (which makes life infintely harder and easier all at the same time) and after only an hour she was pulling stickers off the paper on her own and sticking them on, well, everything! Herself, the dog, Nana, me, the table, the paper.

Reno has been HOT this summer. My repeated catchphrase is that "I moved out of the Central Valley for a reason!" It has been in the 100s and smoky from all the Sierra wildfires. We're used to 90s at most, and a nice wind that comes every afternoon between 3 and 4 p.m. With this as the norm, fans pretty much do the trick so we only turn on the AC maybe half a dozen times during the summer. One day it the 100 degree weather caught up with us before we realized it. I was miserable, Luci was cranky, and even the dog looked wilted. So as I was making dinner I gave up. I put the baby gate across the kitchen entrance, brought out her tub, and we had water play in the kitchen. I highly recommend it as a way of distracting the kid when you're trying to make dinner during the summer. And in the desert heat, water is not a huge issue to clean up afterwards.

Also, I should mention that Mike and I are going to be vacationing in the Yellowstone/Grand Teton area in August so if anybody has any suggestions or recomendations be sure to toss them our way.