Busy weekend

Who needs toys when you've got pillows??

I think it's easy to get caught up in the lemons life hands you sometimes, which makes it hard to see your life as it really is day to day. That's why it's great to have weekends like we just had, where nothing huge happens but where each day makes you so content that you get back to realizing that, at its base, your life is pretty dang good. We started ours out on Friday by introducing Grandma Connie, Addi and Addi's mom, Heidi, to Bouncing off the Walls. Kate liked it just as much this time and made it a good 2+ hours before giving in to exhaustion. On Friday evening, Ryan and I took Kate down to the creek near our house, where Kate happily beat the heat by wading in up to her waist. Good thing she had daddy there holding her hands or I'm quite sure she would have just kept wading deeper and deeper. On Saturday, we went for a hike near a lake and it was really the first time that Kate walked a good portion of it. She seemed in her element, wanting to get past Ryan and I so she could do the leading. When we finished, we had a picnic by the water and Kate made a balance beam out of a slippery log (what IS it with this girl and wanting to walk any plank she can find??) That night, we had Addi and her parents over for tacos. The little girls got along well, and we parents got a good chance to get to know eachother. There's something quite satisfying about making new friends. Kate and Addi had a grand time bonding over guacomole, successfully eating about as much as they smeared outside their mouths! Sunday was another busy but relaxing day. Ryan took an early morning mountain bike ride with Addi's dad (also conveniently named Ryan). Then we went to the pool for a swim (Kate especially likes the hot tub now, which she calls the "warm swimming pool with bubbles"). The athletic club has a great lawn and patio where we sat afterwards, having coffee while Kate ran around. To top off our nice weekend, we went to Josh and Jen's house for dinner on Sunday night. Kate absolutely loves playing with little Ryan and Shaun. I'm hoping they can become her surrogate big brothers because I think having big brothers would be right up her alley. They seem to know all the tricks she wants to learn! And that's it. A great few days to remind us that we do indeed have a very fine life.