What Went On in June

June – saying goodbye to Spring and hello to Summer!

This month we also said goodbye to my parents, who had been here for a few weeks. They’re back in Australia again and we took this photo on their last day with us:

Isn’t is fantastic? This was after about 10 photos of Roman scrunching his face up as hard as possible, screaming, “CHEEEESE!” and me begging him to “Just give me a normal, happy face, PLEASE!” I guess this is his version of normal/happy? Fran thinks he’s praying for the photo shoot to be over. And Tanner had clearly had enough.

Anyway, right before they left, the boys and I went with them to the newly opened observation deck of One World Trade. We picked a (sadly) rainy, miserable day, so we were just hoping it would clear up in time for us to see the view.

It wasn’t to be. We had one moment, when we were looking at whiteout and all of a sudden saw buildings and river and bridges, which lasted all of about 10 seconds. The elevator ride up and back is amazing, though – it almost made up for the lack of view. If you’re being a tourist in NYC on a clear day, it’s worth the admission price (which is steep).

Right after my mum and dad left, Fran’s mom came back from Vermont for a visit. So Roman got to see someone he loved right after a pretty heartbreaking goodbye to his Nanny and Pup. (Three year olds don’t really grasp the whole Australia-is-reeaaaallly-far-away concept.)

Unfortunately, I think I nearly killed Grandma the day after she arrived. I wanted to get the boys out of the house while Fran was trying to work, so I suggested a trip to the Brooklyn Museum – Roman loves it. We walked there, probably almost two miles, then – oops! Closed. So then I suggested we head into Prospect Park to the carousel, which is another pretty good hike on a hot day – oops! Closed! We ended up going to the zoo near the carousel, really only so we could sit down, eat some lunch and get ready for yet another walk home. Poor Grandma. 😉

We did get back to the carousel and the nearby splash pad a couple of days later. The carousel is so awesome – I think I love it as much as Roman.

June saw me feeling more like my own self physically and I’m definitely settling into the mama-of-two life more:

But what was really awesome about June was that I started running and working out again. Hello being outside without either child! Bliss! You can read more about what surprised me about postpartum running here – I definitely feel better this time than I did after my first pregnancy, but it’s still slow going.

Highlights of my other workouts have been swimming and yoga. I can’t remember the last time I swam for fitness until I was in my later pregnancy with Baby T. Now I can’t get enough! I also tried out baby-and-me yoga – holy cuteness. I went with a friend who had her baby around the same time as me and while I thought it was really nice to connect with baby and get a few poses in, there was also a lot of nursing and diaper-changing and singing songs that apparently every other mama knew all the words to, which my friend and I faked our way through. So I was a little mortified that the next day my abs were sore. Oof.

I’ve actually been getting in some home workouts, too! It feels pretty miraculous to me, but I’m going with it.

As well as my yoga class date, I’ve seen a couple of  mama friends since I’ve been on maternity leave this month. I got my sitter for her usual three mornings a week as soon as my parents left, so I could have some one-on-one time with Tanner. So he and I have done a lot of snuggling and playing (he’s laughing now!) and also socializing. Coffee dates and also a playdate with my friend’s daughter who just turned one – I think she loved not being the baby! 😉

Roman is as crazy and rambunctious as ever. He’s adjusted pretty well to having a little brother, but I think it’s tough for him sometimes. It’s hard to tell what’s normal three-year-old behavior and what might be him acting out. At least when he gets bored, he always finds a way to amuse himself. And a trip to the firehouse nearby never hurts.

This month we had a visit from Fran’s friend Tom, who used to be his boss many, many years ago when Fran worked in a ski shop as a teenager. They became great friends and Tom is like a father figure for Fran. He came all the way from Vermont just for the afternoon, to meet Tanner. 🙂 I know we have almost the same photo of him with Roman, too.

Father’s Day weekend was great. On the Saturday we were supposed to have a picnic with friends, but it was raining a little, so we made last-minute plans to go with them to a huge beer garden near us in Brooklyn that we knew was family-friendly during the day. We got there at midday and thought we’d be a little early for the crowds, but it was packed and honestly I’m not sure if anyone there didn’t have kids with them! I guess Park Slope parents know where to get a drink before nap time…!

Father’s Day itself went well for a while…Fran slept uninterrupted until 10am (every parent’s dream), then had breakfast in bed before we headed to the annual street fair right near us. It was all fun and games until Roman had a tantrum. Good times. So there are no photos of that delightful occasion, but here are some photos of Fran with his boys:

I have to say how stunning and exciting it was to wake up to the news that SCOTUS had legalized gay marriage in all 50 states! Actually, at first when I checked Facebook that morning I thought a couple we know had eloped because my friend’s status was, “And now I can pay many of you back with ‘When are YOU getting married?'” I frantically texted to see if City Hall had been one of her stops that morning (I don’t want to miss any possible occasion for cake and champagne) only to realize what had actually happened!

Yay! And since I have inundated you with pictures anyway, here are some more of my favorite photos of my two favorite boys:

Some of the posts you may have missed this month: 

10 Reasons Running a Marathon is Crazy…Crazy Awesome, that is! It’s true. It is awesome. AND crazy.

Pinterest Pins That Make Me CRAZY! I guess I had a bit of a crazy theme this month? But really, the insane fitspo pins and the pins masquerading as healthy advice – ugh, it makes me so sad to see them repinned so many times.

20 Tips for Hot Weather Running – because I know you’re all like me and after weeks and months of praying for the summer during our arctic freeze that was winter, you are all now trying not to bitch about the heat and wish it was cold out.

Three Things That Surprised Me About Postpartum Running. The first thing I was surprised by was happy-dance inducing.

Instagram Secrets – Behind the Scenes of My Instagram Feed. Some of the funny stories behind the photos on my feed  – as well as evidence of the failed shots leading up to the posted masterpiece. 😉

AND don’t forget – if you live or work near a Blink Fitness, you can win a free year’s membership with my giveaway here! And My GoMacro MacroBars giveaway is open until Friday, July 3, so enter here. (They’re delicious. I just ordered more.)

So that was what went on in June! And just like that, we’re halfway through the year. We’re hanging with our cousins for the holiday this weekend – can’t wait! And I’m so looking forward to fireworks, they never stop being magical.

Any fun plans for July 4th?