10 Things Happening in June + Life Update!

Happy June! I can’t believe I am almost halfway through this pregnancy (19 weeks pregnant with baby #3!) - where on earth has the time gone?! I really get the feeling like this baby is going to be here like SO SOON. So we are trying to do lots of things this summer, both for fun (!) and for baby prep!

I decided to write this post old-school style, by dumping my iphone photos in here and chatting about what’s been going on. Lately the curated, planned-out posts just haven’t been making the priority list (kids home for the summer, man it’s kicking my booty!), and I’ve put a hold on all sponsored collaborations until I have capacity to really do them well. So here’s a post like those of the olden days!

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I love this month of the year! Even in the thick humidity and mosquito-laden evenings, it’s the kick off to summer! Along with all the wonderful summer things like popsicles on the back porch and afternoons swimming, it’s also our wedding anniversary month! And this month also marks the season in this pregnancy where I am starting to feel great again - oh gosh, I am so grateful. I don’t know how I would function if I were still sick… my poor kids would be stir crazy while I laid on the couch. These guys were such troopers the past few months and I am just so glad that we can play a lot together over the coming months. I’ve been experiencing an overwhelming sense of gratitude since I’ve been coming out of the first trimester nausea that seemed to linger longer than my other pregnancies. I am just so grateful to be able to eat again! And laugh again! And exercise again! Life is beautiful, even when it’s so not perfect.

A few things that have been happening over here and things I’m looking forward to!

1. Everett just finished his first golf camp and he LOVED it. Makes me think about signing him up for another session this summer if we can squeeze it in! We are also doing lots of swim lessons this month so there has been lots of sunscreen and pool time happening lately. My porch is littered with wet towels and sandals. And bubble paraphernalia because that’s been happening too.

2. I’ve been drinking this little combination and it has been the most refreshing treat! Fill a glass up with crushed ice and then do half green tea and half lemonade - it is SO GOOD. I got the idea from the Starbucks shaken iced green tea lemonade. I was going there way too much so I decided to make my own. Does the trick!

3. There’s Stevie! I haven’t gotten enough pics with him this summer. One of our fave family outings during the week is jumping on the golf cart and heading to the golf course so the boys can hit a few balls. I usually do squats and lunges while they putt and chip - although once I’m out of this baby phase of life, I’d love to take golf lessons, too! This has been a really fun thing for all of us to enjoy together this summer, although it usually means bedtime happens later too…

4. Ah, those haircuts! They look so big! Okay so I have to tell you a little bit about the lake! My in-laws have a new spot in Alabama on a beautiful lake, so we have been making our way out there as many weekends as possible this summer! It’s really special to get time away from home as a family, and oftentimes, as an extended family! Even though we live in the same town as so much of our family (especially Stevie’s side), we barely see each other because everyone is busy with kids and jobs and just life! So it’s been fun to catch up with each other out there. The boys are getting really comfortable on the water, and they love going out on the boat, fishing, and kayaking! I have decided to take a little hiatus from boating for the rest of this pregnancy because it makes me nauseous. But reading on the dock really does what I need for growing my brain and giving me that much-needed alone time. Have I mentioned how much I crave alone time?? Ha I never get it.

5. I read this whole series by Kristy Woodsen Harvey and loved it! Perfect summertime reads if you need something light and easy for a beach vaycay. I’m about to start this biography but I am in desperate need for more book recs! If you have some good ones please leave them in the comment section! Thanks in advanced! Also, this is my fave sunscreen this summer and this is the incredible BECASA cotton pullover my friend Emily sent to me - the perfect cozy cover up!

6. They still thinking matching is cool. How long do you think I get to live this up?! Their shirts and shorts here.

7. Have you ever heard about Farmgirl Flowers?! They are literally the most gorgeous, fresh arrangements I’ve even seen in my life. They’re pricey but I feel like they make the most incredible gift. I’ve dropped an insane amount of hints about them and Stevie sent them as a complete surprise at the beginning of this month! The note said, “I love you more than all the hairs on your head”, which literally cracked me up and made me feel SO loved. This is a really lame picture of them but this blog post is about keeping things real, not creating a styled shoot of my flowers. Although if I had the time, I totally would have done it.

8. Speaking of our anniversary! Stevie and I are heading to the beach this weekend for a quick getaway to celebrate our 12-year wedding anniversary slash babymoon situation. Every year of marriage marks its own milestones but this past year in particular has been such a growth season for us. Because of his travel schedule for work and the constant motion of life at home, we don’t always get a chance to connect in the day-to-day (probably most parents with little kids feel this way!), so I am extra excited to get away with just him for a few days. Like, we are going to talk and not get interrupted. Also, I’m excited to lay on the beach and not have to feed anyone snacks or sunscreen any wiggly little people. Like what is that life?!

9. Pure Americana suburb life is happening over here - we hang out in the culdusac with our neighbors a lot and LOVE it. If its 6pm and not pouring rain, you can find us trashing the street with bikes, scooters, frisbees, sippy cups and lots of kids having lots of fun. We love our neighbors so much!

10. Last but not least, we have been busy with house projects! We are in the process of creating a shared bedroom for Everett & Daxton and turning the nook outside of the bedroom into a bonus play space. The bedrooms in our house are small and I really want them to have more space to be boys and play, so I’m hoping this will be a good solution for them! We are sooo close on getting these spaces finished so fingers crossed that it comes together soon. After we finish their bedroom + play space we will work on creating a new office/guest space in Everett’s old bedroom and then working on updating our nursery for the new babe! And yes, the nesting phase of this pregnancy is absolutely motivating me - the hormones are crazy!

What are your plans for summer? I really loved this blog post about not creating a bucket list for summer (I seriously breathed a sigh of relief while reading it!), and we have been really enjoying the self-discovery of letting June just sort of happen to us. Yes, I still keep somewhat of a routine and structure to our day, but I haven’t felt the NEED to hit all these items on a summer bucket list like I have in previous summers. It’s been really refreshing and exactly what I need in this season. Bring on the popsicles and impromptu golf cart rides and Monday night pizza! Happy June to you all! xx

Family Beach Trip!

It's just always felt like home, here on this beach.

Probably because it is home, in a way. I've been coming to this stretch of coast on the Florida gulf every summer since I was about 7 years old. I might have been 8. I'm not really certain. But every summer, without fail, my feet have hit these sands and my heart has spilled over with relief and gratitude into the bubbling foamy sea. This horizon has absorbed a lot of my heart cries over the years - sadness over break ups, joy over making the squad, relief from finals, anticipation for my wedding, anticipation for moving to Boston, anticipation for moving to New York, anticipation for having a baby... the list goes on and on. This has been the place where I've "worked out” a lot my life challenges, had my conversations with God, while staring into this azure sea.

This is the kind of place that I have grown to need. To love and to cherish. We all have a place like this, right?

This time around, I got to watch my husband teach my little son how to play frisbee. I smile because this is the same beach where I learned to throw a frisbee so many years ago, when Stevie and I were dating and he couldn’t just sit still and read books with me for 7 days in a row. This is where I learned to love the feeling of the sea spray on my face while I angled the disc just so and sent it soaring across the shoreline to my partner in crime. And now, watching my not even two-year-old son experience the same bewildering joy - well, that’s what I think they call nostalgia. And aging. And really, really wonderful.

I did a rascal job of actually capturing a lot of moments through the lens during this beach week, and that was actually on purpose. This is the kind of week where I put away my phone, neglect all beauty products, and wear little more than bathing suits and pajamas. I shut off from the outside world, partly because the Internet connection is so poor anyway, and just eat ice cream and have conversations with family and stare at the ocean. So these are the few rare shots I took when I actually remembered to pull my camera out and capture the moment.

I hope you get the opportunity to retreat somewhere this summer. Everyone deserves a reprieve from from the hovering chaos of calendaring and task lists.

Just a boy and his Papa.

Everett ate so much Pirate's Booty during beach week. He kept crying and asking for "more boooooty!!!"

The athleticism starts early.

Stevie playing with Lake, king of the cousins (because he's the oldest!)

Our only family shot of the week. I really wanted us to get showered and dressed in white for "real" family photos, but let's be honest - when you have the choice of staying on the beach and watching the sun plunge into the ocean... or forcing your boys inside to bathe and "get pretty" for pictures, what's it going to be? You can see what we chose.

He LOVED lying in the shoreline and letting the water move him to and fro. It was the funniest. I've got to start taking more video :)

We played frisbee, too!

He's a self-cheerer. I really love that about him.

A baby pool on the beach is SO the way to go, you guys. Endless hours of fun to be had.

What tough men. Filling up the baby pool :)

No, my niece wasn't picking up trash. Uncle Joshua hid a treasure map in a bottle for all the little cousins! He sent them on a treasure hunt around the beach and guess what the treasure was? Fruit snacks. He won "best uncle" award for the week.

Uncle Matthew and little Ansley!

Best ever.

P.S. - For those who asked, my bathing suit is from Victoria's Secret (top is sold out, but similar here and here and here, bottoms here). :)