I never would have thought

that you would have found me and Brad at a park on a Saturday evening dining on a sandwich under a big shady tree. Not that we are above this sort of activity at all - actually, my little heart prefers this type of Saturday night but I just never would have guessed we'd be in a place where life had slowed down enough to enjoy the green grass and the breeze and the ducks on the pond on a Saturday evening in June.

But this is exactly how we spent our first normal Saturday. Normal means we didn't have company and we weren't being taken care of by any of our dear parents (both things we love). It was just as it will be for awhile...the dad, the baby, the dog and the mom figuring out this new normal. We met one of our favorite Brookhaven couples and their newest addition. The boys held the little people like footballs in one arm with a cold beer in the other. The girls chatted about things I never thought I'd chat about...spit up, baby pimples, pediatricians, medicine for infants and yes, breast pumps. The kiddos enjoyed being out in the open air and the dog was in heaven leaping through the lush green grass chasing after a football. All was well as you can see from the pictures below. And not just well....all was perfect and I think we all truly enjoyed our Saturday evening affair.




The funny thing is that Brad and I sat here for hours before wondering how we might entertain ourselves on this particular Saturday night with a two week old. We had to cross out many appealling options because Brooks would make a frown when we mentioned anywhere too crowded or too far away. We weren't sure we'd be welcomed in too many of these places anyway. Luckily, we got a last minute text from our friends wondering if Brooks would be interested in a pic-nic? What a fabulous idea on a pretty weekend evening. I am not sure why we wouldn't have done this before. Brad and I both crave anytime in the open air. We don't necessarily thrive in a bar in Buckhead - we get too tired. We love finding frugal ways to enjoy our city and as long as Brad can drink a cold beer you can park him anywhere. So, I guess this pic-nic date will make it's way onto our calendar quite often this summer. I am slowly starting to enjoy this new, slower paced lifestyle. Thank you, Brooks, for slowing your mama down and forcing her to truly stop and smell the roses and soak in all of God's creation (including you!)