A tale of me, a kid, big head Tuck, and the monsters!: First Camping Trip of the Season

Now that Em's a little older and the store is running smoothly, Brian and I decided that we would retake our lives. We vowed that this summer we wouldn't allow ourselves to be stuck inside and we would return to doing some of the things that we really enjoy but have neglected.

Over the past several months I've been working very hard to take back my yard. Gardening was one of my most favorite things to do until our two life changing events happened: the store and the baby. Both took all of time and attention and my yard became. .. well .. . inhabitable. For the past two years the dogs, squirrels, and neighbor cats were the only ones that thoroughly enjoyed my jungle. After many hours of hard work, we now have a backyard that I'm not embarrassed to show. We even built a small fence to make a dog free zone for the kids to play.

We recently had our first of many BBQ's this summer. This was the first event we've had at the house in over a year and I enjoyed every minute of it. There's nothing better than sitting outside, hanging with friends, and tending the BBQ. Last week I remembered what Seattle summers are all about!

This past weekend we went camping for the first "non-Labor Day" camping event in 3 years. We stayed close to the city, but were far enough away to feel like we were "getting away". We went camping with Kim, James, and Justin and had a fabulous time. I think both Kim and I learned that our kids are more resilient than we thought. Neither Em nor Justin minded the rain or mud, they were just happy to be outside!

This was the closest I got to both kids looking at the camera.

Sacked out!

Em discovering the joys of the Justin's treat cup. This cup entertained Emma for hours. It's the next thing on the list of "must haves" and tomorrow I'm off to buy her one.