Because it’s the summer I grew up with, a Connecticut summer will always seem like the most classic version: green everything, water everywhere, lobster shacks, ice cream cones, country roads… I know June will probably feel differently, and that’s okay! But I hope she also loves her New England visits, and if this year’s week in Connecticut was any indication, we’re off to a good start :) Here are a few highlights from our week at home in June, if you’d like to see!

We kicked off the week with the wedding of a dear high school friend, the impetus for this trip in the first place! John was a groomsman, June was the only child in attendance and had a blast chasing the spotlights on the dance floor, and the weather was perfection. Plus, the wedding was at the Branford House, where Natalie and Joe got married, so that was extra fun!

Every single one of our high school friends was reunited from across the country for the occasion, which was indescribably sweet! And there’s my Junebug, cheesing it up at 10pm just before we left for the night :)

We generally had impeccable weather, which lent itself to several beach days (at Esker Point and Eastern Point, for locals who are wondering!).

One extra-fun quirk in the timing of our trip was that we were home for my childhood church’s strawberry supper, which happens once a year. It cracked me up to get the mini-celebrity treatment (my church is very small and the older ladies were excited to meet June for the first time!), and June clearly enjoyed the signature dessert.

We of course spent lots of time in Mystic — going to the aquarium (baby belugas!), Treehouse for dinner, Red36 for lunch, eating ice cream by the drawbridge, and checking on our house :) We also made a celebratory trip to Sift the day after the owner won Best Baker in America, and all of June’s dreams came true when she was handed a pink and purple macaron with sprinkles!

We made our usual trip to Abbott’s, home of our rehearsal dinner and gigantic fish under the dock you can feed with oyster crackers.

We brought a Mystic Market picnic back to the Branford House, where we had the most beautiful backdrop for an afternoon of kite flying.

We had breakfast at Noah’s (a must-do!) and wandered the streets of Stonington Borough, heaven for this home lover (and her flower-loving child).

And of course, the best part is that we spent plenty of time just hanging around John’s parents’ house, enjoying our family… nothing better.

More to come from our week in Maine soon!

P.S. Our last weeklong summer trip to Connecticut (baby June!!)

We’re back from our 17-day New England adventure!! It wasn’t necessarily my preferred way to take vacation (baby brother’s due date made the back-to-back nature necessary), but I’m so grateful we were able to squeeze in time with so many favorite people and places! More to come soon on our trips to Connecticut and Maine.

But now on to July… is it helpful to say my goals are to cross off everything on my “before baby arrives” list?? Just know that for every baby-related goal below, there are probably four more items I didn’t mention on a to do list somewhere :) Baby brother could very well make his debut this month, so we’re focusing on both preparing and soaking up our last few days as a family of three!

On my calendar this month:
— My dear friend from childhood and her husband are arriving today to stay with us for a few days, with the intention of seeing whether they like the Triangle enough to move here!!
— John’s birthday!
— The Fourth of July!
— Cow Appreciation Day!

What I’m loving right now:
— We were greeted with the above bounty upon arrival home from our trip, so we’ve been enjoying some of our favorite tomato recipes this week, including one of my favorites.
— The “Picnic in the Park” playlist on Spotify is perfect for summer afternoons and dinner parties!
— Not even kidding: THREE different readers sent me the link to this Atlantic article. Clearly, I have a soap box :) I loved it, of course, especially this line: “But that sort of separation is different from the inattention that occurs when a parent is with a child but communicating through his or her nonengagement that the child is less valuable than an email. A mother telling kids to go out and play, a father saying he needs to concentrate on a chore for the next half hour—these are entirely reasonable responses to the competing demands of adult life. What’s going on today, however, is the rise of unpredictable care, governed by the beeps and enticements of smartphones. We seem to have stumbled into the worst model of parenting imaginable—always present physically, thereby blocking children’s autonomy, yet only fitfully present emotionally.”

What I read in June:
— Saints for All Occasions: Kept me up later than it should have – a great summer read!
— Tell Me More: Even though the author and I seem to be polar opposites in some ways, I enjoyed her essays and found a few points in particular rang very true.
— A Gentleman in Moscow: This novel is long and took me a little bit to get into, but once I did I fell in love with the characters! The author’s style of writing is playful and fun, and I even learned a thing or two about Russian history :)

Revisiting my goals for June:
Prepare entertainment for our long road trips
Photograph our backyard to share with y’all!
Attempt to DIY some maternity photos (did not get to this… the extreme heat made it a daunting task)
Make a master list of things to do before baby boy arrives
Upload all random digital photos/videos and sort them into external hard drive folder system
Cull and edit all 2018 iPhone photos and categorize them in our external hard drive folders (made a lot of progress on this but not quite done!)
Decide on a blog series for after baby boy arrives and start working on it (still stumped! Ahh!)
Finish organizing baby boy clothing (progress here!)
Film June in June, Volume 3

July goals:
— Actually get the basics ready for a new baby: buy newborn diapers, pack a hospital bag, install car seat base, get out the Rock and Play, set up the changing pad…
— Make progress on nursery: have room painted, replace light fixture, plan curtains with Aunt Nan, buy crib, finish framing art, choose pillow shams for bed…
— Finish organizing baby boy clothing
— Edit June in June, Volume 3!
— Take an evening neighborhood walk any day we’re home and the weather is good
— Finish all outstanding areas on my 2018 Great House Declutter list
— Plan newborn photos (Graham is taking them again and I am so grateful!!)

On top of all of the work-related things that will be taking up my time and headspace between now and the end of the month, that should about do it for me, I think! If you have goals for the month (or something you’re loving right now!), I’d love to hear in the comments!

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