What do you call the Irish guy who hangs out in your backyard?

Another comparison shot - last time around starting 3rd tri and this time. Holy big baby...at least I passed my glucose test.

But seriously folks, I'm not kidding about loving this summer weather (and I know that makes some of my fellow mamas-to-be angry, so I'm sorry). We had such a great weekend, enjoying the outdoors and laying low to stay cool. Yesterday was pretty darn hot, and I admit to being a little cranky, but more so from being tired and achy. I even walked to CVS to see if they had any inflatable kiddie pools...for me. But since it was Shabbat, we pretty much succumbed to doing nothing for the day when we got home from services. But today was awesome, and the only thing that would have made it better was patio furniture. (Get it?) Lemme explain.

I am obsessed with patio furniture. I just have these Martha Stewart-esque visions of quintessential summer meals being eaten outdoors, with fun plastic table clothes and citronella candles, while the smell of the BBQ lingers and I sip cool, crisp white wine. Something like this:

Or this:

But damn, even the ones at Target are expensive! Maybe if we had $112 to drop we would get the bar stool and table set currently on sale at CVS, but still for that money it only seats 2 and doesn't really satisfy my need anyway, except that it's about $300 less than the cheapest ones I've seen. Last weekend, we went to bring dinner to Shawn, Zuzana, and Abby in celebration of Natalia's arrival. Shawn had requested my special brisket, so I obliged, and not only were we pleased as punch to be asked to stay to eat with them, but we got to sit outside on their patio furniture! It was one of the most relaxing evenings we had had in a while. We ate lazily, talked, and watched Ivy and Abby run around the backyard in their matching Disney princess flip flops (don't ask). And I dreamt of the day that we would own our own patio furniture. Bliss.

Today we came home from our great beach day, Ivy took a stellar nap, and we decided to eat dinner outside. We grilled fish and red and yellow peppers stuffed with goat cheese, and enjoyed the setting sun and cooler evening temps from our crappy it'll-have-to-do-for-now folding table and chairs. And Ivy got a few more minutes to run around the yard before heading into bed. Maybe not Martha Stewart, but close. We're trying to savor every minute of the summer, and every chance we have to shower Ivy with our attention before she has to share the parental spotlight.

Mmm...chili lime halibut, stuffed peppers, and parmesan couscous...

Ivy decides to chill at her own table...

And because I wasn't quite on the verge of collapse and my back was still functioning, I decided to make waffle cookies after Ivy went to bed. Yes, you read that right - cookies made using the WAFFLE IRON! The best part about this waffle iron is that it was an engagement gift we received but did not register for. At the time we thought, who buys you something NOT on your registry, especially such a rarely used gadget like a waffle iron? We ate our words, because we love the damn thing. I make waffles maybe once a month for Sunday breakfast, and now I can make easy espresso dark chocolate chip cookies too, in a matter of minutes! The perfect treat to eat while listening to chirping crickets through our open windows (upstairs neighbors can suck it - oh wait, they're gone!).

Here's to the rest of summer - stay cool!