In the Middle

In almost every way, you could say that we are smack-dab in the middle of summer.

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and we've been browsing the Internet to see what there is to do in Dallas now that we don't have the Independence Day-palooza in the thriving metropolis of Menan to look forward to. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, check here or here for posts from our family about Menan Days. How have I never blogged about Menan Days?!)

Ryan will be exactly halfway done with his internship tomorrow. We are hitting triple digits here in Texas. And (need I say it?) we are nearly to the exact halfway point of 2012. Time is flying by.

The other day I was reading this wonderful message from this wonderful man. His message, in essence, was that we are always in the middle of our lives, even if something is beginning or ending. We should never think that, because we may be just starting out, our contributions are limited, nor should we slacken our efforts as we near the finish line. We should always act like we are in the middle of something—fully invested, trying our hardest, savoring each moment.

Since I read that message (and since we are so very literally in the middle of summer), I've been savoring some moments myself. And I've caught them with Instagram. (don't you just LOVE Instagram?) The photos in this post will be repeats for my 15 (ahem) followers, but they'll be new to the rest of you.

I took this photo while Ryan was trying on shoes at the mall. Lyla has been pursing her lips together like this a lot, and I can't get enough of those big blue eyes. Or those tiny toes. Or those cheeks. Or her looking up at me. I am whooped. 

She kept getting into the cords near our end table, so I pushed the couch and chair together so she couldn't get through. She still tries, but for some reason never gets frustrated and cries. She just reaches and reaches, then goes to find something else to play with. I hope she keeps it up. 

Lyla's hair is coming in a bit unevenly, with the hair right on top of her head significantly longer than that on the sides and in the back. When left untouched, it sort of looks like a mohawk. So we made the mohawk into a pigtail for a day. Super cute.

Mmm ... summer salads. We have been essentially living off of these the last couple weeks. We can't seem to get enough of them. 

There isn't a whole lot going on right now, but I think that's the beauty of the middle. Most of the photos are of Lyla, because I spend most of my time with Lyla. And because she's super cute. Obviously.