Father's Day and the Start of a Busy Summer

As the third trimester of Alison's pregnancy is in full swing, the end of the pregnancy feels surprisingly near. Alison and I spent some time this week looking at what the next couple of months hold for us and realized the next few months are going to be busy. Our schedule is full of classes (birthing, what to expect as new parents, car seat safety, etc.) and events with family and friends. There is a lot to do and it feels like there isn't a lot of time to do it. 

Alison liked to tell me that I was in hyper-nesting mode this week. I was very committed to knocking a lot of stuff off of the to-do list. We got a lot done this week. The nursery is really starting to come together. We put together our baby girl's crib. We also had a neighbor come and help us install wallpaper on one wall of the nursery - we love the look. We bought a cute giraffe lamp. I put together and installed a bookshelf in the nursery. My favorite part of the bookshelf was putting a book I wrote on it - Madeline's Mom and Dad Go on Safari - it is so cute! We put down the rug we bought. It is really coming along. There are a few big things we are waiting for - a refinished rocking chair that is at the furniture shop, a dresser that is in transit, and some curtains that are delayed, but overall we are loving the nursery. 

We also did some shopping at Kid-to-Kid. Alison's sister gave us a tip that they were holding a semi-annual sale and many things were 60% off. We stopped by and got a whole lot of clothes. I went a little crazy. Alison told me to pick anything cute and I understood the assignment. I filled a cart full of adorable newborn and 0-3 month clothes. We came home and sorted it all out. I think we are pretty set on clothes for the first couple of months. 

The Kid-to-Kid haul

In between preparing for our baby and a few cleaning/organizing projects around the house, we made sure to enjoy the nice summer weather. Most nights you will find us watching a Yankees game or sitting on our porch swing. We are especially loving the porch swing these days. It is Alison's favorite thing about our house. Tex also loves all the time we spend outside. He is living his best life. 

We had a busy weekend. The first of many busy weekends. Despite the busyness, we still found time for a couple of walks around Daybreak Lake. That is pretty much a daily staple for us. We love living by the lake walking out our front door and being in such a beautiful place. 

Alison found one activity this weekend that was too good to pass up. Caputo's Market and Deli - one of our favorite shops was trying something new. They were holding brief informal cheese-tasting classes. The classes cost $10, but they gave you a $10 gift card for attending. It was a pretty great deal. We went downtown and got to try five delicious cheeses and listen to a cheesemonger tell us a little bit about each one. He also gave us a tour of the cheese caves. Then we got to spend $20 on cheese and chocolate at Caputo's. It was fabulous. 

We spent Saturday evening with my brother and his fiance. They came over to our house for dinner. Alison and I made my signature dish for June - homemade carbonara. We even made the fresh pasta ourselves. It was very delicious if I do say so myself. March's signature dish - Crème brûlée made an appearance for dessert. After dinner, Jon and Amanda came with us to the Daybreak Summer Concert Series. Tonight's headliner was the Good Vibrations - a beach boys tribute band. They were great. Amanda just wanted them to sing Barbara Ann and they made her wait until the very end, but they came through. We had a great time and Alison even got me up out of our chairs and onto the dance floor for a song. We love living in Dabyreak and being able to walk from our house to the concerts. 

A pile of fresh homemade pasta

Sunday was Father's Day. This Father's Day is pretty special because our little baby girl is on the way. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be a father. I have such big dreams of all the things I want to share with our baby girl. I look forward to dancing with her at the summer concerts, showing her the world, sharing all of the things I love with her and so much more. 

To celebrate Father's Day Alison made breakfast and she presented me with a gift - it was an adorable little outfit for our baby girl.

In the evening we met up with Alison's family at her parent's house for a family dinner. The highlight was the rainbow cake Kristin and her girls made to celebrate Pride. It was awesome. Alison and I made some vanilla Salt and Straw ice cream to go with the cake. We had a fabulous night eating good food and hanging outside in the glorious summer weather. It was a great Father's Day.