Last night we had an impromptu dinner on the front porch. It's my favorite. The weather was perfect, Dash pointed out birds and airplanes to us, a neighbor stopped by for a chat and we watched the sun set. Bonus: we can brush all of Dash's crumbs right on to the ground!

Lately, I'm making a conscious effort of being outside as much as possible. I absolutely love being outside with Dashiell and showing him plants and birds and lizards. I spent so much time playing outside during my childhood and I want him to have a strong connection to nature as well.

Soaking up this glorious weather is also part of my effort to re-frame the way I think about the Arizona summers (and maybe living here in general). I've decided that during the months of November through Mayish I want to be intentional about taking full advantage of the great weather. I want the Team Wharton normal routine during these months to include hikes, hanging out at the park, going for bike rides and eating outside (and we have been doing these things lately!). My hope is that this season of living outside will make enduring the hot hot HOT summers slightly more bearable because we'll have so much to look forward to when the heat breaks.

Here's to many more dinners outside before we retreat inside for the summer!