Since I spent so much of this summer in the haze of first trimester symptoms, I definitely let blogging (and even Instagramming) go for a while. When I recently found myself scrolling back through some old posts and reminiscing, though, I realized I wanted to have a little better of a record of this summer. It really has been a special one, especially since it marked our last months before entering the world of school for Charlie! As we soak in this last few days before preschool starts, I wanted to take a minute to look back at a few favorite summer 2019 memories, big and small, and record them here for posterity.

In June, we made three trips to different parts of Virginia: first to Williamsburg for my childhood best friend’s baby shower, then to Charlottesville for a day trip to meet up with Dave’s sister and her family, and finally to Northern VA for aforementioned friend’s brother’s wedding! While the trips only got tougher as the month went on and I started feeling some symptoms, all held really fun moments with friends and family. On the third trip, we even got to attend Mass with a middle school friend of mine who was ordained earlier that month. It was his first Mass at his brand new parish, and my family showing up when we hadn’t seen him in 15 years was a bit of a surprise! He gave us a family blessing, plus an extra blessing for the baby, and it was so sweet and special. Please keep Father Will Nyce in your prayers!

Father’s Day was extra special this year, since we found out about the baby a few days before! We had a great day celebrating our favorite guy with Mass, brunch at Trophy Tap & Table, and a Durham Bulls game with our friends the Shaners for the second Father’s Day in a row. Charlie has gotten really into baseball this summer, so he was totally starstruck being at a real game!

Charlie did three little half-day camps this summer as a bit of a preschool trial run and had a great experience. We had some nerves (especially about him eating lunch around other kids), but overall, everything went pretty smoothly. It was so sweet hearing about the little friends he made and what they did together–it made me really excited about that aspect of school.

My sister Dana spent two non-consecutive weeks of July with us, which was so wonderful! I will say, the first week was better than the second, when my symptoms were at their worst and Charlie was two weeks into potty training, but she promised she wasn’t completely terrified out of having kids as a result :P Charlie loved all the quality time he got to spend with her, and I was grateful for some extra help and a buddy to watch all the Mary Kate and Ashley movies on Hulu with when I was nauseous and exhausted. Sisters are the best.

After a few weeks of potty training, Dave and I were ready for a break from Charlie, ha :) We decided to totally relax on a movie date. We have literally been to the movie theater once a year for as long as we’ve been together, so this was out of the norm for us! Especially since Alamo Drafthouse opened in Raleigh recently, the idea of lounging on comfy chairs while snacking on loaded fries and not worrying about anyone’s bathroom schedule sounded too appealing to resist. We saw Yesterday and thought it was such a fun movie–definitely recommend. Breaking our once-a-year streak, we’ll be back in September for the Downton Abbey movie!

(No photo, since we have apparently forgotten that we can take selfies without Charlie in them :))

As always, we’ve loved trying out some new/new-to-us places in town. At the top of our favorites list is Layered Croissanterie…their ham and gruyere croissant is literally one of my favorite things I have ever eaten. Another go-to this summer has been Benchwarmers Bagels, since we love the chance to soak up the downtown views on a nice morning and enjoy delicious, fresh bagels (which are dairy-free, so Charlie has a blast too!). I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Jolie, but apparently, so has the rest of Raleigh, since they booked over 2000 reservations in the first few hours! We’re hoping to snap up a cancellation at some point, but I’m kind of tempted to make a reservation for my birthday in April sooner than later, just in case ;)

What have been your favorite adventures this summer? I would love to hear!