Looking back at July

July is almost always my favorite month of the year (followed by December, in case you were wondering.  I've thought about ranking past that but haven't been able to pick my next favorites...February and March are probably at the bottom though.  And maybe November until Thanksgiving).  It felt like we were constantly on the go this July but that meant a lot of fun stuff going on in the middle of summer!  We say we hibernate in the winter so it's ok that we were go go going this summer.  I mean...this month included:
-an extra 7 weekdays off for Matt (he only worked 16 days all month!)
-7 nights at the lake - almost 1/4 of the month!

-celebrating my birthday
-celebrating my Grandpa's 90th birthday
-celebrating America's birthday
-celebrating Luke's adoption day
-TWO drive-in trips
-time by the water with all 5 of my sisters, in the span of just a few days
-a TinCaps game with over half my family
-a family zoo trip
-AND visits with many dear high school and college friends, some of who I hadn't seen in YEARS making it extra special to see so many in one month

I don't think the rest of the year has a chance of topping all that.

1) During Matt's week off at the beginning of the month he knocked out 4 of these double Adirondack chairs, this one for my parents as a belated AND early gift.  We love using ours!
2) Checking out the monkeys on our family zoo trip.
3) One of our many friend visits this month - visiting my old college campus AND even my freshman year dorm with two of the best ladies I met in my time there.  We met in this space 14 years ago and now we were back again with our 6 combined kids.  Still a little mind-blowing that we were back and how much life we've lived since!
4) Sparklers at the lake!  Luke loves these.  They are now a part of our nightly routine up there.
5) Drinking his cereal milk every. single. morning.  He prefers drinking milk out of his bowl to his sippy.  Crazy kid.
6) A very rare picture of just the two of us!  Close to the 10 year anniversary of our getting engaged.
7) Luke got a free hippo at a TinCaps game this year...I don't think it'll replace his free lemur from last summer but hippo has gotten a lot of love in the last few weeks.
8) Another lake trip, another family jet ski ride, another family jet ski picture.  I limited myself to one (here...I have gobs more).
9) Rain boots were a somewhat frivulous purchase many years ago but have come in handy so many times.  These are my most complimented footwear, by far.  Here picking green beans in a muddy garden at my parents'.
10) Pool day with my Indy sisters.  Luke loved it!
11) Cuddled on the couch reading with lemur.  I'm going to claim he gets this from me (not the lemur part, the reading).
12) Celebrating my birthday at the lake.  A couple of my sisters and their families joined us.  Always fun to share the lake!  And cupcakes. 
13)  At 2 years and 4 months we finally moved Luke out of his baby tub. I know, he was in it a reallllllly long time.  BUT it saved sooo much water!  And he didn't really seem to care!  But it is pretty nice not having to move it every time we shower now!
14) Despite how the next picture looks, I'm pretty sure I like Luke's baby pool more than he does.
15) Loving his little pool, for the moment.  He doesn't hate it but isn't one to sit still for too long!
16) Luke's 2nd drive-in trip this summer, 2nd this month...2nd in 8 days...  He might go just for the popcorn...

You're up, August.  Make it good.