June wrap-up

June was a wonderfully relaxing month for us. It was a great introduction to our summer. We grilled multiple times a week, had lots of visitors, took walks in Colonial Williamsburg, visited the farmer's market, and mostly stayed put. It is a somewhat busy time for Chris work-wise as the fiscal year ends today, but thankfully nowhere near as busy as last year was in his old position.

This month Eleanor started riding in shopping carts when we go to the grocery store. She swivels around and it keeps her very entertained for the time being. Plus it's nice not to have to put her in a carrier where she feels kind of trapped or push a stroller and try to use that as a shopping cart (because you can't push both at once).

We've had lots of play dates with friends, as always.

Eleanor took her first trip to a real pool. We put her in a life jacket for a little while so we can try to get her used to it before she actually has to wear it when we go to Bass Lake this summer, but there's really no getting used to it. They're bulky and seem uncomfortable, so we just took it off and let her play.

My tomatoes are red and ready to eat. Well, some of them are anyway. I'm fighting off some blossom end rot on some, which is a bummer, but otherwise they're doing well and they're delicious.

During Eleanor's naps, I've been enjoying our hammock in the backyard under the shade of our trees. Occasionally when Eleanor wakes up from her nap she'll join me out there for a bit, but she doesn't seem to love the feeling of the hammock so we don't last long.

Chris took Eleanor on her first daddy-daughter date this month to Tropical Smoothie. They gave Eleanor a "Jetty Jr." and since she learned how to use a straw, she loved it. Another plus to this was that I got to drink her leftovers :)

We took a couple trips to the library where Eleanor loves to watch other kids build with blocks and pull books out of crates. We're still working on not putting them in her mouth, but overall, pretty successful.

Eleanor paid for dinner when we went out one time...or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Yep, it was wishful thinking.

I figured I'd post a picture of Eleanor's hair in pigtails, because I haven't yet. This was a picture taken before church one morning, which is why she's all gussied up. We're a barefoot, white onesie family for the most part, but I have to seem like I've got it more together when we go to church, hence the dress and shoes.

We've spent a LOT of time out on the porch this past month. It's been hot, but we've had several pleasant evenings, too. We have been eating outside often and it's been wonderful!

Eleanor's favorite night of the week is pizza night, which we love, too.

Weirdly, the new favorite toy in this house is socks. Eleanor pulls them right out of the laundry basket and I find them all over the house throughout the week. If we're missing a sock, we can typically find it somewhere near Eleanor's toys.

We've also taken many, many walks around the neighborhood. In fact, unless we head down to CW to meet Chris as he gets off work, Eleanor and I take about 3 walks a day around the neighborhood. Sometimes we plan to walk with people, sometimes we run into people and end up walking with them, and sometimes we walk alone. We also sometimes explore the trails behind our neighborhood or walk through to the neighborhood next to ours. She loves being outside and seems content when we walk, so we do it a lot.

We've got a lot planned for next month, so I really spent a lot of this month enjoying being home and it being quiet. I love adventure and being busy, but I love peace and rest, too. Hopefully Eleanor feels the same way and will be able to keep up with the rest of our summer :)