See? It was summer for the day

Picture proof:

Summer is here! (well, it was yesterday...)

Yesterday, the first official day of summer for most of the nation, we here in Washington had a surprise: summer came here too. It was a lovely 81 degrees, full of sunshine - and that means, plenty of time that Nate and I just want to be outside.

So, we were.

We went for a run on base around perimeter road and saw A-10s taking off and landing and, of course, plenty of C-17s. We were close to the runway and with each C-17 takeoff or landing, Nate passed me a sidelong glance that said, "Mom, are you aware of just how close we are to these humongous planes? Please make sure they stay on the taxiiway, okay?"

Then we spontaneously spent the late afternoon and evening in Seattle on the waterfront. I love spontaneous trips, even if they are just up to our fair Emerald City. We picnicked in the park, walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park, and Nate had a blast throwing rocks in the water. Or just throwing rocks. And the paths that are made of tiny little pebbles? A 15-month old's dream come true.

It was a lovely, lovely day.

Today, it's cloudy. And I keep reminding myself that in Washington, summer doesn't start until July 5. So, thanks for the treat, Mr. Sunshine. See you in a week!

A Return from a Blog Hiatus

I must admit: my blogging hiatus was not intentional. No, in fact, I had hoped to have a few spare minutes in the last four months to bring you all up to speed about the coming and goings of our house. And, while I probably did have a spare minute or two, I have to tell you, I was lavishly enjoying a few pages of reading a good book, or chatting on the phone with a friend.

I'm sure you understand: it's been a busy Spring.

I know that it's not officially summer, but hey, the weather has even warmed to shorts weather here in Washington, so I think spring is packing up its blustery weather until next year. And, boy, am I loving the bit of warmth we are enjoying.

So, what have we been up to? I thought I'd break it down to the top 5 things that have happened. (I think 5 is a manageable list. Many more than five things and I have to write it down.)

First, Greg finished his training in Colorado! Crazy things slightly delayed his on-time homecoming, but he made it home in time for Nate's first birthday, so we're counting it a win. It was a tough training session, between wacky weather and a wackier schedule, we're glad he's through that hoop and on the the next. Since he's been home, he's been hanging out at the squadron most days, getting to know the people he works with and getting to know the (less-than straight forward) Air Force system.

And, Nate turned one! We had a great family celebration and he was quite the social butterfly, flitting from conversation to the next and having a great time. We were a little puzzled when he didn't really go wild eating his cake. Turns out: he's not a frosting man. Big fan of cake, but not the sticky frosting (and that's an okay thing by me!). We took him out for frozen yogurt, too, which he loved. I mean he loved it. Couldn't get enough. (And so, we have been back to the fro yo shop almost weekly. It's that good. And they change their flavours that often. Nate is a big fan of the fruit flavours, but I have to tell you: we have not had one bad one yet. They are all delicious. And we have already achieved several free servings from punch cards. Yep, we go that often. But, hey, it's fro yo, so it's good for you, right?!)

I began an extended leave of absence from work. The university was amazing to work with in getting this  outside-the-box solution together for me. They offered for me to take the leave of absence since we are moving on military orders. It allows for me to come back to work at the university without having to go through the long-drawn out hiring process when we come back. I'm glad for the options available, but I am so enjoying the time at home. Nate and I have had a great time exploring the parks and having morning dance parties in our jammies. And it's so nice for me to feel like I'm not working and juggling my life, rather I'm living and juggling other things. It's a much better balance.

Especially since we are excited to be expecting another Gause addition to the family! Yep, Nate's going to be a big brother, and we are going to be a family of 4! Things are going along swimmingly, although I think this pregnancy is going so much faster than the first! It's hard to believe that we are already half way through. Our newest family member will arrive in late October.

Okay, that's four things, and I promised five: We moved! Yes, we're Oklahoma-bound (though it's a long bound because we're moving twice in 6 weeks.) We found terrific renters who needed to move into our house about a month before we can leave for Oklahoma, so we're living in Greg's childhood home for a couple of weeks. It's been a move that's been a labour of love: his parents were fantastic in getting the house ready (they haven't lived here in a couple of years), and we had a crew of family and friends help us get things into boxes and get them across town. Really, it's a small price to pay for having such great renters in our house - people we feel like will really take care of the house. And we are excited to moved back in (with two kids!) in two years when we get back.

Whew! What a wordy update. Since there are a few things going on... I'm resuming blog posts (I promise), so stay tuned about what's happening with us and as we start our journey to the midwest.

It's sunny today, and so we're off to go play! You should be playing outside, too.