Enjoying...

I read my dear friend, Kelle Hampton's blog last night (although we've never met, I'm absolutely sure we'd be the best of friends), and realized that contrary to the dry and extremely hot spell we're feeling in this part of the country, there are still places that are getting rain.  Lots of it.  And just like too much of anything starts to wear on you after awhile, I'm looking to the 7-day forecast and hoping for a mid-seventies afternoon at the park or a quiet day to play in while the rain pours outside.  We've had more 95-100 degree days this summer than I remember, and while we've exhausted our pool pass days ago, we're ready for some relief.  After all, I haven't gotten my nap in the hammock just yet, and it's too hot for a campfire and s'mores even at 9:00 at night!  

To follow stride with Kelle Hampton's 'enjoying' posts, we're doing our best to brave the heat and squeeze in as much summertime as we can before a new school year begins.  We've been busy, we've been on many adventures, and we've made sure to give Cruz the opportunity to get his feet wet, and in many cases, dive in head first to all that is summer.  

Enjoying an afternoon of pie.  Quite frankly, I'm intimidated by homemade pie, but dead-set on conquering this fear and mastering the art in the near future.  Through this process, however, I'm learning that it may be a process that is ongoing, and that the process of making a pie is exactly why so many women (and men, too) will spend an entire afternoon in their kitchen, playing with flour and blanching their peaches.

The other afternoon, I accomplished a great feat and licked my fingers in success after making my first peach pie.  I put Cruz down for his nap and immediately got to work.  I tried a new crust, blanched, peeled, and sliced eight peaches, did a science experiment with tapioca, and seamlessly put together the most perfect pie I have ever baked.  Sure, I used a cheese grater to make a crumb-top crust, and added just a tad more sugar than the recipe called for, but it was by far the best pie I have made and I actually enjoyed the two-and-a-half hour process.  It was a milestone for sure, as I'm actually excited to try another one soon.  The only problem is that my husband (and son, too) would prefer a piece of bacon over a piece of blueberry peach pie a million times over...

Enjoying an evening of baseball.  Jordan and Kelli, Beau, Chris, and I took the kids to a Waterloo Buck's game the other night.  Nothing says summer like a night at the ballpark, and it turns out that Riverfront Stadium is the perfect place to watch a baseball game with kids.

The stadium was less than half full.  

I don't think I watched one at-bat during the game.  I didn't see a player run home, or a player strike-out, and when my dad asked who won the next night over the phone, I honestly had no idea.  I did, however, watch my son run up and down the empty row of bleachers just below us, clap, wave, and dance in front of the audience behind him, and attempt to hold, cuddle, and kiss his cousin, Hayes, in the stands.  He refused to eat his hot dog when it was fresh in his bun, and I later saw him rediscover it on the ground and 'almost' take a bite.  And although he looked pretty cute in his baseball shirt and backwards cap, I silently thanked the Lord we experienced this in Waterloo instead of Wrigley.  We had loads of fun, though, and you simply can't beat the $1 Buck Nights of dollar beers, dollar hot dogs, and dollar tickets!

Enjoying simple spaghetti and salad nights with our first batch of very red cherry tomatoes and lots and lots of basil from our garden...

Enjoying picnics in the park with cousins.  Grandma joined us during one of our cooler days last week, and we were well-equipped with all the important picnic essentials: a perfect shade tree, an over-sized patchwork quilt, and lots of yummy and fresh finger foods to much on as the kids took breaks from exploring the park.  It was quiet, peaceful, and simple; that is, until a bus full of junior high camp goers decided to invade our park and say things like, 'wow, this is some cool sh*%' in front of our open-eared toddlers!  

Lots to enjoy, even during a heat wave!