A Summer Bucket List

1. Get a rockin' tan
2. Eat at Back Door Donuts (more than once?)
3. Witness Meredith's first steps
4. Celebrate Meredith's first birthday
5. Take twice daily walks with hubs & baby as often as possible
6. Go see at least one movie at Free Friday Flicks
7. Take in a Menemsha sunset (or two)
8. Watch the sunrise from the first place the sun hits the U.S.
9. Do our first overnight without the baby
10. Make new friends in our town
11. Hike in Acadia National Park
12. Do a brewery tour
13. Frequent the Farmer's Market
14. Eat lots of fresh fish
15. Eat some fried fish
16. Shut off my computer & internet part of my phone for a week while we're in town. (yikes!)
17. Get a really good pedicure
18. Open our home to friends as much as possible
19. Simply enjoy time with my in-laws on vacation
20. Put away the camera some days and just soak up the beauty and growth in my daughter
21. Read at least five new books
          I Capture the Castle
          The History of Love
          Bel Canto
          A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
          The Art of Racing in the Rain
          The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
          The Glass Castle
28. Figure out ways to feel more at peace in my house
29. Organize the cluttered top of my dresser
30. Make one of those handy dandy jewelry organizers
31. Hike Mt. Monadnock
32. Teach Meredith to High Five
33. Initiate conversations with other moms at the park & resevoir
34. Meet up with some of my blogging friends
35. Stick with the South Beach diet (allowing myself guilt-free cheats on vacation)
36. Feel confident in my bathing suit
37. Recreate some pictures with Meredith, a year later
38. Take a day trip to Portland, ME to see brother in law & good friend
39. Find a pottery class or open studio to start going to in the early fall
40. Continue to work on sticking with a grocery budget while buying healthy, whole foods
41. Figure out how to reach out to our elderly landlord lady who is going through a really hard time.
42. Take family bike rides with our new baby bike trailer
43. Enjoy at least one fireworks display
44. Take full advantage of the family friendly events in our town
45. Soak up the week long vacation I get with my parents
46. Figure out my hair situation. Hate the color. Hate the cut. Gotta get happy with it.
47. Keep our marriage spicy & fun. Summer lovin' is the best.
48. Get lots of newborn snuggles from my friend's new little girl, but don't catch the baby bug.
49. Go meet Chris for lunch at work once or twice
50. Savor summer
  
Linking up with Mama Kat!

Blazing heat & big messes.

Yesterday we spent the better part of the day in Meredith's nursery because it's the only room with an A/C unit in it. Chris and I always see how long we can hold out, but we couldn't do that to our sweet little munchkin.



As a result of spending exrta time in her room, Meredith has discovered a new game: pulling all the books off the shelf! It's super cute and super messy :)

 



She also has discovered the joy of pulling everything out of every bag and box she finds in the house. Girlfriend doesn't just pull things out and place them on the ground, either. She legitimately chucks them away from her. Again, very cute, but my house has quickly become impossible to keep tidy. I suppose I should just get used to it? Things probably won't change for quite a long time, am I right?

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. We don't have much planned, but I'm sure we'll manage to have some fun family times.

My 8 Summer Don'ts

1. Don't forget sunscreen for your pale skinned, bald little baby. Don't forget water for yourself or the baby. It'll make the rest of this stuff a lot more fun.



2. Don't spend to many nap times inside cleaning. Do go enjoy a book and glass of lemonade in the sun.



3.  Don't spend time fretting over your not-so-perfect swimsuit body. Do feel proud of your body's ability to grow, birth and raise you precious baby girl.



 4. Don't worry that you've eaten one too many hot dogs or cheeseburgers. Do soak in the laughter of friends and smiles of growing babies as you enjoy a summer cookout.

5. Don't worry too much about a schedule. Do spontaneously go to the beach, ice cream shoppe or friends' houses.



6. Don't miss out on the chance for new friends. Do smile, say hello and strike up a conversation at the beach, park or in passing on the sidewalk.

7. Don't let the summer pass without an apple fritter from Back Door Donuts and a sunset at Menemsha Beach.



8. Don't forget to pause and reflect on the mind-blowing, amazing way your life has changed 100% for the better this past year. Do hug your baby every chance you get. Do kiss your husband as often as possible. Do call your family and friends. Do take time to love yourself.



Linking up with Mama Kat today! I chose the prompt: Your Top Ten Summer Don'ts... except I just did 8 :)

Summer craving

As I mentioned yesterday, the weather was beautiful and, except for today, the week is supposed to be in the high 40s and maybe even reach 50. At this point, that feels like a hot August afternoon. And as cliche as it is, this little peek at warmth has left me craving summer time and all that it brings. I am ready for greens and blues. I've had enough white and grey. How about you? Ready for warmer weather? Or wanting to hold onto winter cozies a bit longer?