Welcoming summer

Although summer officially kicks off this Sunday, it feels like summer already. The weather has been consistently warm, we're eating more ice cream than we probably should, and we're blasting the air conditioning. I'm not sure to what extent we'll be able to pull off any summer plans since getting out of the house with a newborn and a toddler is a feat. Plus, the Southern California heat gets the better of us sometimes. We stay home more often than not and I'm trying to be creative about entertaining Serene during this scorching season. We put together a makeshift water table for her, which she loves. We recently replaced it with a kiddie pool that we put on our balcony. Now she splashes in it contentedly while I simultaneously watch her and nurse her baby brother, which is more efficient than going down to the pool with both babes.

If we do manage to go out, the trips are typically abbreviated. We made a jaunt to a local library during our family day this week and encountered a fountain on the way there. We paused so Serene could marvel at and greet the fish within. It was a bright, sweltering afternoon so I plopped her sun bonnet on her head in an effort to shield her from the sun's rays somewhat as she ran amok. I'm not consistent about making sure we slather sunscreen on ourselves unless we're heading somewhere like the beach for an extended period of time. I'm attempting to be better about it now that summer weather seems to be here to stay. After perusing this, I found out I'd been obtaining one of the worst and ineffective sunscreens for our family. I am so bummed I didn't know better, but at least it helped me discern quality sun protection like this, which we're now using, thankfully. Since Valor is usually covered in a wrap or in his car seat when we're outdoors, I haven't worried about sun protection for him, although we just got him a sun bonnet too. I'm pretty partial to vintage-inspired sun bonnets for babies; they're lightweight, cover their necks and ears, shield their faces, and are so cute. I foresee Serene and Valor donning their bonnets (and sunscreen!) in all future outdoor activities this summer.