Exploring

One of my biggest take-aways from living through all of the seasons in North Texas this past year is that we have to get outside while the temperature allows.  We now know from experience that hot spring days will soon turn into very hot summer days.  It's the one season where the temperatures are extreme enough to justify retreating indoors unless the right activity can draw you out for a limited time.  A native Texan told me last year that, "sometimes it's so hot that the only way to be comfortable is to get in the pool".  I was so intimated by the intensity of the sun and my fair skinned baby that I frequently declined invitations to join our friends at the pool during peak sun-hours.  I can't say that I am any less intimated by the intensity of the sun this time around but I am very fortunate to have a little girl who loves to put on sunscreen and is extremely willing to keep her hat on.    Months and months of teaching swimming lessons with me on Saturday mornings has made Nicole a true lover of the water so we are equipped with season passes to our area pool, which has already been open for two weeks!  I have our sunscreen, hats and UPF swimwear standing by,  but until the weather makes the shift from hot to very hot, we have set our sights set on other adventures.  

Nicole is at a great age to explore with because she is enthusiastically curious, increasingly more communicative and incredibly friendly.  Now that she only takes one afternoon nap a day, we have an entire morning wide open for adventure.   Most days that "adventure" involves playing in our front yard, backyard or driveway but every once in awhile we take our show on the road.  

A friend texted me to let me know that the local splash pads were open.  Since Nicole wasn't walking last summer, we never went, but I was eager to bring her this year.  We invited some friends from church to meet us there and Nicole had a blast.  I left feeling like I had discovered the secret to playing outside in the heat.  By the time our local pool opens at 11am, we have already been up and playing for hours.  I have hope that we can head to the splash pad first thing in the morning to get some fresh air and our wiggles out before we need to find refuge indoors.  

At the splash pad observing all of the places the water comes from before jumping in to play! 

At Boots Burger in Rockwall, Texas. 

Shawn has been working very hard over the past 40+ days of reviveTexas which has left us with limited time off as a family.  Recently, I was delighted to realize that Shawn was going to have a Friday morning off, which made it possible for us to grab some burgers at a local burger joint we've had our eye on for a couple of months.   This local joint is only a few minutes from our house and after reading the reviews on yelp I knew we had to eat there.   There is no eating on the premises which happens to be completely ideal for us because our meal times are always more pleasant when we have a familiar high chair and table to seat our curious toddler in.  We happily took our piping hot burgers home and shared a wonderful lunch as a family.  We thought the burgers rivaled the Butter Burger from Culvers, which was like a little taste of home.  

We have a few more places to cross off our list before summer is in full-swing, but if we don't get to them this time around, it just means that we happily occupied our time doing all of our usual things. Our days are mostly predictable but life is far from boring with a rapidly growing toddler underfoot.  

Take care! 

Erica