A fun day meeting new people.
Bowling for the first time.
Playing with cousins on the lake.
Dinner.
Boating.
Sunset.
Evening.
Three and three-quarter years old.
This moment.
This moment in time was captured last night by my super awesome husband on his phone. Unfiltered.
Here lies a great reason to blog my 2012 list! How much longer will it take to type out my list of things we want to do this summer??
For now, last years’ summer fun list:
http://thewhimsicalsweet.com/2011/06/27/gearing-up-for-a-summer-of-fun/
Happy Independence Day to all! Here in the States, most families celebrate by getting together, eating lots of picnicky foods, & gathering for fireworks. As with every holiday, surely each family celebrates differently. Here is our celebration.
From the earliest age I can remember, we have been celebrating the fourth of July at our family cottage on the lake with as much family as will fit. And that’s a whole lotta family!. My father’s side included a plethora of Aunts and Uncles, making them my Great Aunts & Great Uncles. Great, they were indeed. They often brought their children who brought their children and so on. Sadly over the years, some of these wonderful people have left our lives and are no doubt still celebrating together in heaven.
Here’s to them – the generations ahead of us who paved the way, and without whom none of this wonderful life would be possible. They are an inspiration.
And here’s to one very special Great -my Grandmother, who will be absent this fourth of July for the first time. Her cottage will be filled with love & laughter from the next generations, the way she intended. I miss her. We all miss her. A lot.
Let’s toast to her. As we always say, A la famiglia! To family! Happy Independence Day! (and Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law.). Enjoy and be safe 
Here we are, the summer of 2011! How did we get to this point, friends? Time sure is flying!
We have quite a to-do list this summer. In between the weddings, baby showers & newborn visits, family festivities & birthday parties, there’s a whole other list of things we want to do. Well here it all is, in list form as I love to do:
~Days at the Lake. My grandmother has a cottage/lake house on a Finger Lake in NY…one of the most beautiful places on earth. We are fortunate enough to have full access. I spent my childhood summers there & intend on giving our children the same wonderful experience.
~Fruit Picking. Last week was rainy so we missed out on strawberries, booo! No worries, we’ll make up for it this week.
~The Zoo. We have a membership to a local zoo, a gift we were given from my in-laws. Also plan on visiting some out-of-town zoos.
~Local Farms. Petting Zoos have become one of my kids’ favorite things to do. There are several places very close-by we can go to meet the animals. We also learn a ton about growing produce which is an important life lesson. Support local farms!
~Museums. For rainy days, which there are a lot of here in NY State.
~Aquarium(s). Unfortunately, there are none relatively close. We’ll just have to travel 
.
~Baseball Game(s). Local or not, we haven’t been to a ballgame with the kids…yet. They were born into a Yankee household, though we’re not diehard into baseball. We still enjoy a good game.
~Playdates with our friends! No doubt there will be LOTS of these…especially a re-enactment of this photo:
~Parks/Playgrounds. We live in a mecca of playgrounds. Definitely love visiting new ones, & after 2 1/2 years, we’re still not running out! One of our most favorite things to do there: PICNIC!
~Hikes. Speaking of a nice area to live, there are so many trails surrounding us, we will never be bored! We picked up a “Passport to Wellness” at our amazing local supermarket which gives us a trail guide & a few perks along the way. So fun!
~Pool Swim. Several friends/family have pools & we plan on taking full advantage ! This is the summer our 2 1/2 year old will really learn to swim & we couldn’t be more excited! Luckily, we have a pass to a nearby pool with friends & we can go any time. How fun is that?! Now if we could just get our hands on some good life jackets. any recommendations for a trusted brand?
~Planetarium. My husband has a geeky side, the love of planets. We don’t mind, in fact, we love them too .
~Concerts. Yes, we are those people who bring our kids to late-night, loud, rockin’ concerts. (And yes, we protect our ears.) It’s good for their souls. Great, great fun!
Well, so much to do, so little time. I’m sure there’s more, perhaps I’ll make a list half-way through the summer & see what I’ve missed!
What are your plans?
