summer bucket list

In true motherly fashion, I started this blog post in June.... the beginning of summer, to share our bucket list for the summer ahead. Logging in now.. two months later.. it's mid-August, summer is almost over and this blog post still sits in my drafts. What can I say.. the days are crazy around here guys. We plunged into this summer head first and didn't look back. Once that first trimester fog lifted there was no stopping us, adventure after adventure. Summer with a toddler is so, so much fun. And exhausting, but mostly just fun. I love exploring the world through her big, curious eyes.

we've been: visiting the beach ● playing at the splash pad ● road tripping to nearby states ● attending the eaux claires  music festival ● therefore witnessing all sorts of transcendent events that cannot be put into words ● live performances from the national, bon iver, sufjan stevens, the tallest man on earth, spoon, sylvan esso, the lone bellow, the staves and many, many more ● watching my belly grow and grow and our sweet, little baby wiggle around on the ultrasound screen ● relaxing on the back deck for hours on end while lola explores the back yard and splashes in her water table ● drinking all the fair lemonade we can find ● ice cream ● ice cream ● ice cream ● going to the drive-in movies ● visiting our animal friends at the zoo ● perusing the farmer's market ● gazing at fireworks and starry night skies ● watching parades ● dinners al fresco ● devouring sweet corn on the cob ● and watermelon by the truckloads ● lounging by the pool ● catching lola over and over and over again as she jumps in the pool ● backyard barbecues and s'mores ● tea parties and grey's anatomy marathons in the air conditioning on the hot days ● clipping flowers from the backyard and scattering them throughout the house ● milkshakes ● even watering the flowers is an adventure with this girl ● diffusing fresh & summery combos like lemon + stress away and joy + peppermint ● napping every chance we get ● making lists of baby names ● finally satisfying my craving for sushi (just cooked & veggie rolls, don't worry) ● sunflowers galore ● a lot of cinnamon toast crunch ● reading a bit, mostly lola's books, but I've really enjoyed this and this ● starting to collect teeny, tiny newborn things ● popsicles and hide & seek ● hammock lounging ● lots and lots of pies

I can't dream up a better summer than this one. We still have a few tricks up our sleeve for rest of the month and adventures that we plan to embark on before summer dwindles, but deep down my heart is leaping into autumn, my very favorite. We've already ordered Lorelai's halloween costume and my fall/winter oils are ready and waiting to transform our home into a warm, snuggly oasis from the cool, crisp breeze. We have a cabin booked for a week away this fall, which we are anxiously anticipating. A babymoon of sorts to take in all that fall in the midwest has to offer. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, summer still has much to offer. Before we say goodbye to summer 2015, we would like to:

maybe, possibly, (still-not-sure-yet) find out the sex of the bub in my belly ● press flowers to save picked on our neighborhood walks ● play in the rain ● adventure nearby caves ● weekend getaways ● pizzas on the grill ● walks by the river ● more BLTs ● sitting around the chiminea talking about our plans with my guy after lola goes to bed ● catch fireflies ● picnic in the park

Xxxo

Chelsea