Summer Has Begun!

It really began awhile ago, but I'm going to do an extra-long post with lots of cute pictures to make up for it. :)

Summer is here! And it flew in with a bang. Besides having storm after storm, I'm not sure where Spring was - it seemed like we went from fairly cool to shorts and much sweatiness. But I'm really OK with that. We are so enjoying the outside whenever we can, and all that the summer months bring with them. Examples include:

1. Urbana Farmer's Market - I have been bringing Mr. Ethan to the market since he was a pretty new little guy, and it's really kind of fun to think of the people there who have sold us fruit and rolls for several years now. Ethan is really getting into the spirit this year - besides giving me advice on what to buy, he is making friends all over the place! Advertising the upcoming Blues festival was this character, and Ethan was so excited when he got to play with him two weeks in a row:
I know it sounds very granola of me, but I really love the Farmer's Market and am very grumpy when I miss a day. It's not that I can't get blueberries anywhere else, but it's nice to be able to offer Ethan some right then and there without washing them, and know that all he's getting is a little extra dirt. There are a few folks who bring musical instruments and play for the shoppers, and Ethan is now very happy to drop a dollar into each violin or guitar case. (Which gets a little expensive every week!) We also run into lots of people we know while we're there, which is especially fun if they haven't seen us for awhile and make the familiar exclamations at how big Ethan is. I have also recently bought a bike trailer for him, so we usually bike to the Farmer's Market, have a snack at the Food Co-op close by, then shop. It's a pretty Urbana Saturday morning. :)

2. Our parks - We have been playing some at the park nearest to our house, but just last night we went to the larger park nearby for Strawberry Jam, an Urbana Parks program with live music, face painting, hay rides, etc. We didn't stay for long, but did enjoy a nice picnic supper and a walk around the place.

(Sorry, Brian, I caught you mid-bite here!)

3. No School for Brian! While he has been doing some serious storm-chasing, the fact that he isn't teaching has enabled Brian to have lots of fun with us on the weekends. Here he is trying to wear out his kid before bedtime: