Aunts and Uncles and Friends, Oh My!

We have had a busy month! Between hosting family at our home and visiting family in Virginia, it has been a month of new friends for Alex and lots of spoiling for Gretchen.  It has been a great month.

It started with a visit from the Gura family, our cousins in Austin that came for a quick weekend in early June. We lit up the fire pit for the first time - sparking Gretchen's obsession for collecting twigs for the fire - and swam until way after bedtime only to get up and swim the next morning too. It's hard to believe that all of these years our Texas cousins seemed to live so far away - now it's just a short drive to see each other.

Rob and Alex watching the action in the pool

Gretchen swimming with "my cousins"

A week later we were thrilled to host Kyra and Ted, who are fantastic with their niece and nephew. We spent time in the pool, played with stickers and enjoyed an extended spring in Texas.

There were lots of selfies involved:

Gretchen was even treated to unicorn shaped pancakes. It was, perhaps, the best breakfast of her life. While they were here we booked a future trip to San Francisco. We are going to take full advantage of living closer to the Aunts and Uncles in our lives.

It was great, we had fun, I'll bring the camera out more next time. We did take some time that weekend to celebrate Father's Day, which resulted in this adorableness:

Celebrating Daddy Day

We are so happy to have our friends the Newhooks in Houston so that we can spend fun times with them once again! It is great to see our newest little ones getting along as well as our rambunctious 3-year-olds do.

Giana and Alex getting to know each other

Daddy love all around

A few weeks later, we were thrilled to meet our FIRST niece, Eve, and introduce Uncle Dan and Aunt Lian to their new nephew Alex. It was an introduction of cousins, and it was incredible to meet this little person we have thought of, read about, exchanged pictures of and loved way before we ever met her. Look at this little princess on a most patriotic day:

And a throwback to our little butterball on her first Fourth. I love that her clothes are getting a second life:

I also love spending the Fourth in warm weather:

How fun that we have had so many visitors in the first few months after our move! It helps us keep motivated to be settled into our house, and reminds us of how good it is to live near family and friends. The pool is getting lots and lots of use - I am so thankful that our house has a pool and was available the weekend we were searching!

The friends and family visits are going strong, but first we made a trip to Virginia to see our grandparents in July - a trip that deserves a post all its own!