As I look back at the past couple of summers, I realize how different and busy this summer was…for me anyway.  I traveled, a lot.  I went to New Jersey then to New York City then to Florida (all in the same month, mind you).  Started a new job, went up to the northern woods of Wisconsin (for some relaxation), visited family in Michigan, went to San Francisco and then to Albuquerque.  Then, we visited family in Indianapolis.  I’m finally home and finally breathing again.  Yet, I still feel like I’m in constant motion.  I’m not sure that I’ve come down from this awesome high that blogging has created for me.  Many doors have opened and are still opening.  I’m just going with the flow and enjoying every minute of it.

We have, however, settled into a nice little “family” routine.  We have a fantastic sitter for Hailey, close to home.  I have an great work-at-home job with an AMAZING company that I couldn’t be happier about.  Eric has a great, stable job and is drooling over his brand new iPhone.  The weather is cooling down and I’ve finally made time to reflect on the summer months that slipped by so quickly.

Let’s start with June, shall we?

June was nice.  There was warm weather (not excruciatingly hot) and there was this pretty little girl in dresses with flowers and smiles;

We took our little overnight trip to the Wisconsin Dells:

Then there was Brother Patrick’s reception.

We hung out with family and Hailey ran around the halls of the hotel in her super stylish vintage Matilda Jane outfit.

Then, there was our trip to Michigan to see my brother and his wife and kids.  I met my newest little niece, Isabelle for the first time!

Hailey hung out with her cousin, Alexa and had a blast going for a boat ride, playing in the lake and making s’mores at night by the fire.

My poor little baby niece…get that thing off of her!

Of course, we had our fun at home too.  There were bike races:

and walks around downtown Naperville:

And of course, Grandpa G’s photo shoot with Hailey and cousin Gabriella:

“Chocolate” was the magic word.

June was a nice month to get back into the swing of things.

Stay tuned for part 2.  I can only make these posts so long, ya know?