This is a long list of summer fun, I’ll admit. But this is the good stuff, friends!! I am ridiculously excited about everything on this list, and I plan to check off every single one. My advice, if you’re planning to make your own: print it out! Ours is hanging on the fridge where we can see it every day, which just plain makes me happy, but also helps us remember to get out and do! In no particular order, the list to enjoy before September 21…

— go to a Bulls game
— feed June her first solid food
— road trip to Maine
— host my childhood friends for the weekend
— roast s’mores
— make bruschetta with our garden produce
— jump off the wharf at the Island
— outdoor movie at Koka Booth
— outdoor movie at the Art Museum
— make strawberry lemonade
— picnic at a Back Porch Music concert
— spend a day at the beach
— make chicken souvlaki
— finish our June in June movie
— watch fireworks
— ice cream at Maple View
— road trip to Connecticut (I have a whole other list I’ll share of CT fun!)
— take June swinging at a playground
— pick blueberries
— make a pizza with our garden produce
— lemonade at the Honeysuckle Tea House
— camp with friends (June’s first camping trip!!)
— buy a new flag for our house
— visit our friends in Brevard
— squeal over June in her adorable swim outfit
— BLTs at Merritt’s
— renovate our backyard

What’s on your summer fun list?

So as I mentioned in my last post, May was a bit of a busy month for me. I worked, we had visitors, I traveled, we had more visitors, and we did laundry in between it all. On a normal day, once June is in bed and we’ve eaten dinner, I usually only have about two hours, max, to get things done before it’s time for us to turn in. (These include but are not limited to hanging with John, working on Etsy orders, blogging, reading, opening mail, watching TV, meal planning, answering emails, chatting with friends or family, cleaning, and washing dishes.) I’m not explaining all that to complain, as there is nothing I’d rather do earlier in the day than hang with June, but just to give some context as to how my time has shifted a bit! I am learning that the scope of my goals also needs to shift during months like these. Even though it doesn’t look like I got much done in May, I did everything I needed to.

And now onto June! :)

Revisiting my goals for May:
Get an estimate from one more landscaping company (I tried!! They dropped off the face of email.)
Apply to our HOA to have a tree removed (See above.)
Finish our will (No… sigh.)
Master an updo from the Small Things archive (Nope.)
Paint my toenails (Victory!! I’m glad and also a little alarmed so many of you identified with this goal.)
Read “168 Hours” for the NR Book Club (Not yet.)
Read two novels (Definitely not.)
Plan for and enjoy our weekend trip to Bald Head Island (Planned but didn’t get to enjoy because of threat of tropical storm!)
Have fun with our weekend visitors (YES!!!)

June goals:
— Perfect the scavenger hunt John and I are developing for my Fourth of July cousin reunion
— Get an estimate from one more landscaping company
— Finish our will
— Master an updo from the Small Things archive
— Read “168 Hours” and “Radical” for the NR Book Club
— Have fun in Brevard with our friends the Henrys
— Host my two dear friends from elementary school
— Plan out our July road trip to Maine

I have a good feeling about June :) As a reminder, here are my 2016 guideposts. If you’ve posted your goals somewhere, I’d love to see – or just drop them in the comments!

Hello, friends! May and June are always two of my busiest months of the year, and 2016 has been no exception. They are usually filled with some of my favorite things, though, so I can’t complain. However, as I commented to my Mom on the phone last week, pretty much all I’ve had time for this month are things I absolutely had to do, with little time for wants – and blogging falls into the latter. (The only reason I got June’s birth story up was because I had already written most of it a few months ago!) To jump back in here, I thought I’d share a little bit about what I’ve been up to.

June started school at the beginning of the month. It has been going really well so far! She always gives me a big smile when I drop her off and pick her up, and her teachers are smitten. We are so grateful for a smooth transition, and that we can afford care we feel so confident in!

John’s parents and Natalie and Joe and their daughter came to visit Mother’s Day weekend, the first time for June to meet Miss Maisie! Our two gals are only about four months apart, so it was a fun peek into what June might be up to by the end of the summer. We had brunch at Lucia in Durham and picked strawberries across the street from our neighborhood!

Week two was my company’s annual team retreat, so John and June accompanied me to The Carolina Inn for a few days. It took some extra effort to get her to school and back, but it was worth it to get in evening snuggles! I also scored some Lake Pajamas, which I was pretty pumped about. I’ve been wearing them around the house ever since; I feel pretty fancy walking around in matched jams.

My Mom arrived at the beginning of week three just in time to accompany June and me to The Greenbrier in West Virginia, a work trip for me. Have y’all even been?? I had done a bunch of research on it beforehand, but it still blew my mind – I think it’s the kind of place you can’t really wrap your head around until you experience it in person. The color and pattern are incredible! We laughed ourselves silly, and it was really fun to have June by my side while I did one of my favorite parts of my job. (Only possible because of my Mom – so thankful for her!!)

My Mom flew home the same day Marget, Seth, and Weston flew in! Two of John’s aunts also drove down for the weekend, and we had fun taking walks, cooking at home, exploring playgrounds, and riding the Pullen Park train. And reading bedtime stories in a tent, as you can see below.

We clocked our final two overnight guests last week, before another big work day for me. We were planning to finish out the month much like we did last year, with a weekend trip to Wilmington and Bald Head Island, but the rain scared us off. (Poor decision – the Triangle ended up getting more rain than the coast!) To console ourselves about the missed beach time, we ate almost every meal out this weekend, including an afternoon tea break at the Honeysuckle Tea House. Little muffin loved the open air seating!

And that’s that! As you can probably imagine, all of these adventures meant I didn’t make a ton of progress on my May goals… but that’s a story for tomorrow! :)

P.S. Another life lately post

Friends, I have been itching to share these photos since the day they landed in my inbox (and that was several months ago!!). I only waited because, though I’ve posted other parenthood posts out of order, it seemed most fitting to share these after the story of June’s birth. With that taken care of, it’s finally time.

To say we treasure these photos does not quite do my feelings toward them justice. I have known Graham for some time now, and am well aware of his talent — but I’ve come to appreciate it in a new way since having his camera pointed toward my family. I may be biased, but the moments, the light, and the love he captured back in January is, I think, exceptional. We are so grateful to have this particular and extraordinary time of our lives captured with such care and talent by one of our dearest friends.

P.S. If you are in the position to take newborn photos and are considering having your hair and makeup done – DO IT. In fact, if you are having any professional photos done and lack basic hair and makeup skills as I do, DO IT. You will NOT regret whatever money you spend. And if you happen to be in the Triangle of NC – I cannot recommend Sam of Lula Hair & Makeup highly enough. She is the best, best, best.

You can read more about how we planned for this session here.

Any favorites? The one of the three of us smiling on the bed is one of mine – it is hanging on our fridge :)