What a Difference the Weather Makes

Last summer I was in a bad mood. I was hot, sweaty, and exhausted most of the time. The record heat and draught did not help my pregnant body, and by the way, how do you entertain a 2 and 4-year-old with little-to-no outdoor time in summer? We went from pool to pool and from airconditioned playroom to airconditioned playroom.

This summer has been a different story. This morning, we met friends at the park and couldn't get over how pleasant it was--not only to be with friends, but to be outside at the end of July in South Texas! It didn't hit 90 until after lunch. I felt like it was April or October. Lovely.

We've also had some fabulous rainstorms--power outage, cracking thunder, real rainstorms. I love the coziness. My kids and I have "rainy day reading" which is much more about cozy pillows and popcorn than about reading (but I'm hoping as they get older, they'll focus more on the reading part).

Perhaps I'm also enjoying this summer more because I'm not pregnant. Perhaps it's because I've been in this town three years instead of two--more settled. Perhaps it's because I made a point of being slightly more proactive before summer started as to how we'd get through the long days and lack of structure.

And perhaps I'm just in a good mood today as I write this. I see blue skies out the window, sun through the leaves. And I remember the hint of a breeze from the park this morning--in late July. That's enough to make anyone smile.