30/52: A Weekly Photo Series

Trips to the park, the zoo, and the splash pad are loads of fun in the summertime, but sometimes it's nice to stay home and enjoy the comforts of your own space. Tory and I used to play in our backyard all the time when she was Aden's age, but natural wear-and-tear has gotten the best of our deck over the years. Our big beautiful deck became disgusting with dirt and grime, to the point where I barely took the kids outside to play at our own house anymore.

It wasn't my intention to wait until half of the Minnesota summer was over to remedy the problem. I called a deck renewal company back in April to schedule an appointment to have our deck power-washed and re-stained. The company set a tentative date to visit in May, but the rainy spring weather pushed back their scheduling. Finally in early July, they paid us a visit and now our deck is once again in usable condition.

Enter: fun in the sun in our own backyard. Wahoo!

One night this week, Tory and I dusting off the patio furniture and pulled the kid's backyard toys out of storage. The next day, I set up the cutest little play date on the backyard deck just for us. I cranked up the tunes (Pandora nursery rhymes station, obvs.), set out some snacks and beverages on the patio table and filled up the bubble station. It was perfect!

Photo cred: Tory, my budding photographer

The next day, we returned to the deck for a backyard picnic lunch. Tory thought it was fabulous to dine "al fresco," as she called it. Aden spent more time oohing and ahhing over the scenery than actually eating his lunch. 

    

Looking forward to enjoying this space many more times yet this summer.