When people say you can’t get seasonal affective disorder in the summer, I laugh at them and tell them to live in the Central Valley for the months of June-August. We’ve had two weeks of solid 100+ degree temperatures, up to 115 degrees. All the windows and blinds are sealed shut against the heat, the garden wilts by 10 am, and there are only so many layers of clothing you can shed before being arrested for public indecency.

So, to battle my tendency to melt into a depressed puddle at this time of year, we came up with some creative ways to change up our indoor spaces or escape the heat. We took an IKEA trip with some friends who came up for a weekend and got some storage items we needed for Michael’s room (and a few toys for him too). It was the perfect excuse to do a bit of redecorating.

We removed the closet door and reorganized both his and Bea’s clothes: it has already made putting away laundry so much easier. The TROFAST units has made cleaning up so simple and Michael loves all the bins. I also hung one of my favorite art pieces in the corner (A print of Aslan, Lucy, and Susan by Loré Pemberton) and hung the hand-sewn bunting I made for Michael’s first birthday.

Michael already spends a lot more time playing in his room. I didn’t realize how much I enjoy creating kid spaces: rooms that are beautiful and whimsical but also fully kid friendly. I love making spaces beautiful: functional but with little magical details that catch the eye and delight the heart.

Here are some that I’m particularly fond of right now: the corner with Michael’s high chair, the Middle Earth tapestry hanging by our couch, and the newest addition to our gallery wall (a print of the Dawn Treader in a beautiful vintage frame).

We also took a family trip to the California State Railway Museum: it was Michael’s first time going, and he was absolutely enthralled.

We walked around for hours, enjoying the museum (and its stellar air conditioning) and letting Michael see the trains and play with the different interactive exhibits. He especially adored the third floor, which was completely dedicated to model and toy trains.

He wasn’t too sure about the “pretend people” (mannequins in period clothing) and didn’t prefer the sleeper car exhibit (which rocked and moved like a real train), but he still talks about the trains and constantly asks to read the train book we picked up at the gift shop.

The week of fourth of July was also 105+ with an excessive heat wave warning. Unfortunately, that meant none of us were up to Independence Day activities: BBQ and sparklers just weren’t appealing. It felt wrong to do nothing to mark it, however: so I tried my hand at homemade ice cream. I got an old fashioned ice cream maker and tried two different recipes. One was a quick one with just milk and cream and sugar, and the other was more labor intensive with a pre-cooked custard step: and of course, the more labor intensive one was absolutely incredible. I didn’t get any photos, but we all agreed that’s a recipe we need to save and make again.

Beatrice turned four months old and had a checkup with our doctor. She’s soaring into the 75th+ percentiles of height and head circumference and also hitting some six month milestones (rolling over both ways (though she definitely prefers her right side) sitting with some help, and supporting her weight standing with some help). She’s quite the overachiever, determined to keep up with her big brother.

We were grateful to escape the oppressive heat and spend the holiday weekend in Morro Bay with some good friends.

I joked that I was a Victorian woman with hysteria, prescribed a trip to the seaside for sea air.

We went to a delightful coffee shop and perused the bookstore next door. I love crowded bookshops with used books piled to the ceiling and knickknacks displayed on the shelves. They’re just so cozy — I could spend hours in them.

It was Michael’s first time at the ocean: he loved throwing rocks into the surf and looking for shells and pebbles with me. We rolled up our jeans and let the surf “kiss our toes” and jumped over bits of shells and seaweed. He loved every bit of it (except for sand in his shoes).

Before we left, we got to eat at Giovanni’s, which is one of my favorite places to eat. Their poke bowls and fish and chips are excellent, and Michael watched them select crabs and played in the giant shell.

We also celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary over the weekend. The past five years have been filled with more blessings than I can recount. I’m so grateful for my husband and for my marriage. He is strong and virtuous and kind and intelligent, and everything I have ever dreamed of in a husband.

I indulged myself by perusing our wedding photos, and I thought end this post by sharing some here, too.

Five years down, eternity ahead.