Father's Day 2012

I would rank this Father's Day among one of the best yet. While in the past (due to not so great weather) we've always headed out to a local town fair, this year we woke up to beautiful sunshine and made a change in tradition. After my husband opened gifts of grooming from my son and I, we quickly headed out the back door to soak up some rays. My son and I then made a yummy breakfast of waffles; after we devoured those we made our way to the park. From my post yesterday I shared the fun we had at a brand new wave pool just opened blocks from our house; not only does this park feature the wave pool, but it also has a great playground with a skate park for kids, and an enormous field on a hill for ball games and kite flying. The wind was wild, and we flew our kite for a good amount of time before the lines snapped twice... the wind whipped us around for a little longer while my husband chased our delighted son around, then it was time to head home for dinner. I made buffalo burgers and mixed in a bunch of ingredients like onion, cheese and seasoning. Served up on some cute gingham plates I found at our local dollar store, and the day was complete.

Opening Day - New Wave Pool

We had a blast at opening day of the brand new wave pool that just opened blocks from our house. Ground broke for this project last summer and I remember thinking how great it would be if it were done right then, so my son and I wouldn't have to trek over to the next neighborhood for swim sessions. It's remarkable how fast a year has gone by, and time flying is something I'm getting more used to every day now since we've had our little one. The timing on this location couldn't be better; now that I've returned back to work we are on a bit of a shorter supply of the invaluable commodity. Not only is this pool only open swim, but weather permitting, it has evening hours. They offer season passes and we'll be picking ours up this month!

PJ's and Pedals

There's a lot about our backyard I'd love to change. It's been pretty much the same for the last six years we've lived in our house, with no real layout or design and lots of randomness. Over the years it's seen many incarnations; from a backyard camp site to a canopied oasis, to a place for storage. We've never invested in actual outdoor furniture, yet somehow manage to always have somewhere to sit (blankets sprawled across the grass, our indoor dining table brought out for al fresco meals... ).

I study outdoor spaces on home design websites and always say to myself 'this year we will have some outdoor order!' And then, before I blink, summer is over. We are after all, in the Puget Sound, where summer doesn't begin until after 4th of July, and the crispness of Fall can be felt like clockwork by October 1st.

What I wouldn't change are all the memories that have managed to be made among the mess. My son running through the line-dried clothes, burgers being barbecued last minute on the Hibachi, water-balloon fights ending with both my husband and I falling flat into the kiddie pool with laughter; and my son, pedaling his heart out in his pj's. While I am one to prefer an aesthetically pleasing environment, I know from experience my happiness doesn't depend on it... but maybe this year, an outdoor furniture set just might add to the delight.