Dog days

It's hot.
I'm really looking forward to these 100 degree days going buh-bye.  Nonetheless, we've been keeping busy.
Yesterday we headed out to the park at 9 a.m. to beat the heat, and we went to my favorite park because it's surrounded by a gate and all of the equipment is no more than two feet off of the ground.

The gate is key.  I attempted to have a play date a few weeks so I could get some adult interaction with a friend, and I ended up ping-ponging across the park since I had a runner on my hands.  I'm totally glad I learned to babywear early!  Jackson was strapped happily to my chest as I ran.  One of the other moms said she was tired just watching me.
I've learned the key to my sanity during the day is getting Lucy out of the house and active at some point during the day.

I can't believe I ever thought being a stay-at-home mom to an infant was hard.  It's so much harder with a toddler some day, especially with a baby around.
Lucy is so smart and needs to be engaged in some sort of activity most of the time, so I've been scouring Pinterest for toddler-friendly educational and fun activities to keep her brain active.  We recently took a family trip to Toys R Us and loaded up on Play Dough and Duplo blocks, which she loves.  The "terrible" part of this age tends to come out on days that we don't get outside and spend one-on-one time doing arts and crafts or playing.  This can be an incredibly fun age, but it can also be extremely frustrating.  I think once she learns to listen when we ask her not to do things (like huck her plate and fistfuls of food to the ground when she's done eating, stand on the table or empty out the utensil drawer) things will be a bit easier.  Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself ; ). 
Jackson is getting more active, too, so he's been spending more time wiggling around on a blanket on the floor.  He lights up whenever he sees his sister, which is pretty cute.  

In the afternoons we like to spend time by the (kiddie) pool, which all four kids enjoy.

As much as I'd like for the summer heat to be gone, I don't want time to go too fast.  Lucy is going to be two in a month and Jackson is growing like a weed.  Pretty soon my babies won't be babies anymore and that's just sad.  Hope you all are having a good summer, too!