Well, it seems I've posted a lot of photos lately, without much bloggerly reflection. So, onwards with the reflections.

Summer feels to be well underway, although yesterday was technically the solstice and the start of the season. We have been experiencing nearly unbelievable rainfalls lately, and hot, hot heat.

Ceci will turn two this August, and I'm amazed to think how quickly those two years have blitzed by. She is a never-ending source of joy and consternation, to be sure. (The order of those two descriptors matters.) She's recently taken to the word "NO," which at the same time makes me infinitely happy (think: she learned another word, yay!) and frazzled. For example:
me: "Do you want some more pizza?"
Ceci: "NO! NO! NO!"
Me: "OK."
Ceci: "EEEEEIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE," (which means "I want more pizza!!!!!")

She's a serious riot lately. She's very interested in all the thunderstorms, and while she doesn't seem to get too frightened, after each thunderclap she yells out "Moob! Moob!," which is of course, Ceci-speak for "Boom! Boom!"

We're preparing to have our house painted. The contract is signed, and the painters should be showing up later this week. I'll take a lot of before & after photos; I think the house is going to look great when it's finished. We're going to change the color of the exterior from the celery color to a warm yellow, add an accent color (a dark red), as well as have a lot of carpentry work done on the house soffet and in the supports for the overhanging eaves. We're also having a few rooms of the interior painted, which I am especially happy about. We had always intended to repaint the living room, back room, and downstairs bathroom after we moved in, and it just never happened. We painted the dining room and just about everything upstairs, but then life took over and the rest of the downstairs remained weird peanut butter and brick red colors. I will be happy to get those changed in favor of some lighter, less oppressive colors.

Aaron and I worked like crazy in the yard this past weekend. It seems that we always pick the hottest days of the summer to do heavy labor outside, and this year was no exception. We transplanted about 6 heaping wheelbarrows of border grass from one overgrown garden to three other gardens, and spread two truckloads of compost and mulch. Whew. Honestly, it felt really good to be working hard outside. It wasn't at a desk, and it felt genuinely productive.