We Love Our Backyard

This is going to be a fun and busy summer. Each time the weather gets warm, someone is wanting outside.

First to lead the charge: my handsome, shrinking husband. I'm happy that he's losing weight. I can tell he feels better, but he's looking younger (except for the gray coming in!), and I'm feeling older.

Anyway, he's happiest when we're all able to get outside together.

Cooper is pretty close behind Jeff. I think the theory is that if he's outside, he doesn't need to take a nap!

The amount of stuff this kid can drag out of our garage to play in the yard is amazing. Toys and bikes would be logical, but on a regular basis, we've got out all of the shovels, rakes, measuring tapes, brooms, brushes, step ladders, etc., etc. Really, it's quite annoying when it's time to clean up, but interesting to watch. Just yesterday, the neighbor was out washing his car, and I thought I was the only one out in the yard, but Cooper was spotted by the neighbor up in the tree. With the help of the step ladder. Good grief.

Being outside is kind of stressful for Nick. There is just so much work to do -- he has to build roads, run construction operations, serve sno-cones, smooth the sand, dig holes, and pee in the pine trees. Life is never boring for a three year old.

Maddie's job is to keep up with everyone. She plays with Nick in the sandbox, she humors Cooper by letting him pull her around in the wagon, she toddles around to Mommy and Daddy and strikes up some interesting conversations, she just generally considers herself the one-woman neighborhood watch. No matter what she does, she hits a new level of dirty kid each and every night. As the mom of two boys, you'd think I'd be used to this by now, but she really has upped the ante.

Spring and Summer are awesome. They make for moments like this: