Oh, blessed outdoors!

The next stop on our summer vacation took us to Utah to spend a little time with my parents, my grandpa and perhaps most importantly: both their backyards! The best part of my parents house is their backyard. I loved growing up where I did. I had my grandparents next door, a huge double back yard with plenty of trees to play in and an even bigger garden behind the yard to pick rhubarb, raspberries, apples, apricots, peas, corn....Mmmm....summer! I truly had a charmed childhood. And that is why it makes me so sad to be raising two little boys in an apartment. I know what they are missing! I've told Kris many times that I don't care about the size of our future home but we need a big backyard or a little land where our kids can explore. We do take our kids to the park as often as we can, but it's just not the same thing. I hope everyone who reads this (and who has a backyard) goes outside tonight and just sits. Enjoy the night sky, watch your kids run around, turn on the sprinklers, have a BBQ and make some memories. Just don't take such a simple thing for granted! This is our everyday California outdoor experience: The Patio (Fun, but not quite the same as the real thing. Please notice Ryan squirting our neighbors patio with his squirt gun, it's his favorite "outdoor" activity.) Ethan was only 5 months old when we moved to California and since learning to walk this is our first trip back home. Watching him play in the sprinklers every day was a highlight of the trip for me. Just look at his face and tell me he's not loving every second of it. I know I did!