Happy June, friends! Before I wrote this post I peeked back at last year's post and see so much repetition: camping, kicking off cold treats on Wednesdays, enjoying the summer so far, and even last year's June goal of catching up on kid art work which will make an appearance in this month's list. And yet we're all a year older and have lived a lot of life since last year's June post was written.

I love the familiar grooves of each season, and find a deep joy in seeing what stays the same while also noticing how the kids change and what new life experience – and sometimes wisdom – I now carry. I find myself experiencing this blend of the familiar and the new more often; it's a comfortable and sweet nostalgia. Is this middle age? A decade plus of parenting? Thirteen years of consistently reflecting on and writing about my life? Fifteen years of living in the same home? I think the answer is: yes.

And so here we are, rounding the corner into June. Just like last year's June post, I did indeed just get back from taking the kids camping. This time Maeve joined us, her second camping trip, and once again proved herself a great little camper. I had such a sweet time with her. The boys ran around with a crew of boys but Maeve was my little sidekick. We held hands a lot, which I loved, as we walked to and from the bathroom, hiked near the lake, and climbed over boulders. I appreciated how small her hand is and how eagerly it reaches for mine. We inspected bugs, threw lots of rocks into the lake, and looked for squirrels (a novelty because we don't have them at our house!).

I turned my phone off when we arrived at the camp site and with the exception of switching it on for a couple of photos I was gloriously screen-free. When all the big kids went on a boat tour with the other moms, Maeve and I stayed on the lake shore. She happily played at the shore while I watched nearby from the shade: no book, no phone, just present and enjoying being exactly where I was. Twice during the trip Maeve was occupied enough that I was able to sit overlooking the trees and lake and read for about ten minutes. I'm calling that a huge win for camping with a four year old. Maybe one day we'll set up our chairs next to each other and read together. Oh my heart!

In other summer news I continue to think about "be where you are" often. I've been really enjoying ignoring my phone for hours on end, not looking at Instagram, and embracing whatever summer moment I'm in, whether that's a pool afternoon, pretending to be unicorns with Maeve, or navigating a tween or preschooler mood. Something that helps me stay off my phone is creating a custom Focus setting on my iPhone. You can choose which of your contacts you'll see notices from, whether you want to see any badge notifications, and even which apps to appear on your home screen. Highly recommend.

The kids' have an eight-week summer break and we have lots going on each month. Here's what's on deck for June:

Big things happening in June

+ Take the kids camping. Yes! We had a really good trip to Fool Hollow and would definitely recommend the campground.

+ Chris takes the kids to Prescott for two nights while I stay home. I'm quite excited for two full nights and a whole day to myself at home.

+ Host a neighbor crew pool party. Together with a few neighbors, we've rented out a public pool for three hours one evening. We're inviting all our friends to bring a picnic dinner and join us!

+ Father's Day. We might celebrate a day early because...

+ The boys go to sleep away camp! This will be Dash's second year and Cedric's first. I'm excited for them. And also eager to hear that Cedric had a great time at the end of the week. I'll carpool with a friend to drop our boys off on the morning of Father's Day.

+ The boys visit my parents in Texas! For the second year in a row the boys will fly by themselves to visit my parents in Austin.

June goals

+ Keep leaning into summer with the mantra "be where you are." Originally inspired by an episode of Pantsuit Politics.

+ Catch up on documenting the kids' artwork. I don't have too big of a stack to go through, but definitely all the end of the year stuff. It's also hard to believe that after one more year I'll make Maeve's first art photo book. And maybe after next year I'll make Dash's second to cover kindergarten through sixth grade? After that I'm guessing I'll just photograph or save a few choice papers and art projects - ??

+ Catch up on our 2024 family photo book. I caught up in late April and am really enjoying creating the book "in real time" throughout the year.

+ Increase my nightly sleep average to 7 hours. This is one of my 2024 goals! Yet lately I'm consistently averaging less than 7 hours. While I don't feel exhausted I know that plenty of sleep is so important. My biggest challenge is that I wake up so early (often in the 4 a.m. hour) that I need to be asleep by 8:30 or 9 p.m. With the boys staying up a bit later it's harder to make that happen plus get the 30 minutes of reading which I really enjoy. What would help is to get ready for bed a little earlier and definitely stay off my phone after dinner time, so that will be where I focused my attention.

+ Make significant progress on a new workshop. I have a new workshop, along the lines of Your Year to Shine, in the works! During my two nights at home alone I'm planning to have some focused work time plus make a timeline and plan for moving forward.

Happy June, friends!

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