July flew by! The month was filled with baby snuggles, Fourth of July festivities, needlepoint (I’m obsessed!), World Cup watch parties, trips to the pool, Theo’s first visit to Turkey Hill, and Grant’s last day of daycare. At the end of the month the Chicago Smiths visited KC, and three weeks of true Summer break home with both boys began! While exhausting, it was so much fun watching Grant play at the Fairway Play Gym, visit Crown Center with Sophie & Winston and Sydney & Diego, and we took a trip to Wonderscope! We also celebrated my Dad’s birthday where Grant and Winston graced us with a harmonica performance. Sophie & Alex also moved right at the end of this whirlwind month. I’m looking forward to all August will bring as we wrap up the sweetest summer with Baby Theo!
June Memories
I took a TON of photos in June and I’m totally not surprised that I couldn’t narrow down. There are just so many sweet, everyday memories I want to look back on from our first full month with Baby Theo home with us. It almost perfectly works out to a series of diptychs, see notes on our month below!
Grant & Theo enjoying downstairs playroom rainbows
Garage Sale impulse purchase
Baby Shark 1
Theo is our tiny buddy! Some 0-3 M clothes are still huge!
Look at Theo stare at big brother!
I love Theo’s expression here!
Last ever Designer Showhouse!
& Baby Shark at rest
Snuggles with EB
Post photo-shoot scowls.
All the men celebrating Father’s Day!
Summer Lunches 1
The littlest World Cup Fans
Theo’s first trip to KC Needlepoint
Matching golf shirts for Father’s Day
Bashful Theo
Novel Anniversary Dinner (11 years!)
Otto getting used to a new brother
Soccer Shirt Day Who Knows
Dale’s first Father’s Day to two little buddies!
Summer Lunches 2
And our households biggest soccer fan!
My first needlepoint project!
& many wears after
Smiley Theo
+ Theo
Beginning to go on walks!
Rumpus room snuggles
Soccer Shirt Dinner Prep
Cubby’s Birthday
GP & Theo
Zoo trip to FINALLY see the giraffes!
Soccer Shirt Family Walk
Here comes the fire truck!
Grant & Mom Make Muffins
Theo’s first trip to the zoo
Little Goo Goo Snuggles
+ EB
Little walks with Pop
Break from soccer for dinner
Kick kick for Theo
Pretzels for Al’s Birthday Dinner
Break from soccer for books
Soccer shirt (again) for Grant
May Memories
I’ll always remember May of 2026 as the month Theo arrived, but before and after his birth there were so many joyful moments I don’t want to forget, too! The month began with our May Day tradition of brining a basket to Grammy and Pop, celebrating Graham’s birthday, and lots of time outside (especially enjoying puddles leftover from the rain). I also took some photos around Hallmark HQ since it has been announced the Royals will build their new stadium on the site of our current offices! At work we celebrated Jess’s anniversary, I took advantage of the stork parking, and I worked my hardest to wrap up a font project and lots of other tasks leading up to my maternity leave.
We made s’mores in our outdoor fireplace both before and after Theo arrived, we celebrated Mother’s Day (a very pregnant holiday for me), toasted Holly and James at their Boulevard Brewing Co. wedding (with a cute Theo plus one), and after Theo’s birth enjoyed three weeks home with Dale as we adjusted to our new family member. Grant had his last day of school, we introduced Theo to friends (including Laura and Trixie and Asad when they came to KC), and we even made it to a play date at the end of the month! The month ended with Grammy and Aunt Edna’s birthday party and another chance to introduce Theo to our extended family. I know I’ll always cherish all these little and big memories!
April Memories
This month I tried my hardest to savor all the little moments leading up to baby brother’s arrival next month! Leading up to Easter we dyed eggs with EB, Grammy, Winston & Sophie, I enjoyed Dinner Club at Lazia, our landscaping install got underway, we celebrated Luke’s and Giorgia’s 3rd birthdays, I had lots of doctor appointments, and a highlight was my work sprinkle for baby boy. Also, my peonies survived moving and bloomed this year! Last year we had a few buds but this year many more blooms.
March Memories
March was such a special month! On the very first day of the month we found out that Winnie is getting a little SISTER, Grant continued his love for “skiing” around the house on cardboard skis, we went to Dozer again for a classmate’s birthday, we had to say goodbye to our Chevy (but Dale was very excited about his new Subaru Solterra!), I led an archival lettering workshop at work, EB and GPA pained Grant’s big boy room his favorite color blue, we had Spring Break adventures at Crown Center, Grant got to golf with GPa, we celebrated Grant’s 3rd (!) birthday and ended the month celebrating baby boy #2 at a sweet sprinkle hosted by Megan and Mary. So much joy this March!
February Memories
February began with Aubrey’s birthday party at the Hanlin household – kicking off a month of festivities! I always look forward to my birthday and Valentine’s Day (which fall in the same week) and this year our team at work did a market research day for Valentine’s Day, Dale and I celebrated my birthday with dinner at Lidia’s, we had a wonderful family dinner at my parents and we capped it off with a weekend at The Elms. This was a combo birthday/Valentine’s Day/mini-babymoon (just like we did before Grant was born). Grant enjoyed Val this year as well and picked out monster truck Valentines for his class at daycare. This month we also visited the zoo aquarium with Grammy and Pop (their Christmas present), I traveled to Charlottesville to celebrate Holly’s Bachelorette party, and Dale, Grant and I had lots of fun everyday moments playing at home and enjoying family dinners. Sadly, we also had to say goodbye to Granny this month and had a wonderful celebration of her life at our house with the Smith family. I’m going to miss her (and the sweet voicemails she often left after I mailed her a card) so much. For the shortest month of the year, we sure experienced a lot!
