Welcome Summer

For a few months around the holidays, I did posts welcoming in the new month and including all the fun things we were looking forward to.  I think they came to a halt after the holidays.  Looking back, those yucky winter months were the very time I should have been reminding myself of good things to look forward to.  We've made it to summer, though, and here are some of the things the Lankfords are looking forward to.

**This is undoubtedly a no-brainer, but I'm counting it down until the end of school.  With 8 more days with students and 1 work day after that, I can safely say I've made it through a year that I was sure was going to kill me.

**Soon we'll be doing our first family portraits with Warthan Farms Photography.  I'm excited for some outdoor, natural-light photographs and am praying for low humidity.  I'll also be taking a class done by Jennifer in July for moms and their cameras.  In my case I'm hoping it's "moms who need to get their cameras out of automatic."  I do feel like I'm cheating on my beloved Conway Photo Shop, but Jennifer's night/weekend availability worked better for us.  We'll be in to see our favorite ladies at Conway Photo in July for Avery's 2-year portraits, though.

**Before June is over I'm expecting a visit from my good friend Courtney.  I fully expect lots of baby talk.  I am excited to hear all she has planned and could talk baby gear all day.  Courtney hasn't seen Avery since she was 6 months old, and I pray that she will not leave wondering why in the world she thought babies were a good idea.

**We are always excited about 4th of July with a small-town feel in Newsoms.  I know Avery will love the parade even more this year.  There are usually tractors and firetrucks, which are two of her favorite things.  If we could throw in some farm animals she might hyperventilate.



**The beach countdown began months ago and we eagerly anticipate our week in July.  I'm glad I already have a vacation trip with baby under my belt, although we will have a very active, almost 2-year-old accompanying us.  Thank goodness for Lolli and Poppa.



Once we return home from the beach, it will be time for the big 2nd birthday party.  I'm trying to do some planning now, but I'm having an internal conflict with just how big this party is going to be.  We went the simple route last year and it was a wonderful day.

These fun things will take us through July.  We'll of course have lots of pool, outside, and family and friends fun.  Hopefully we'll squeeze in some more excitement before school starts, and we hope to also be monitoring some house progress.  What I love most about what summer has in store is that it's simple, fun, and us.