I cannot believe that summer 2023 is already upon us. So much has changed since last summer. Brooks is one and now a full-fledge human, walking around and feeling every bit a part of our family (not that he wasn’t last year, but he was still so little and blob-esque). We’re in a new house in a new town, one that we’ve never lived in during summer. Last summer, we had no idea where we would live, only that we needed to find somewhere. In fact, last summer, we spent most of our time moving around and looking for a new home so it felt like we were in bags half the time and just living in a grey area of unknowns. Now, I feel like we have a summer to really settle into our new home. But I am also craving adventure and without feeling like we have real roots yet, it’s the perfect time for us to explore and to make some special memories. To help, I’ve put together our summer 2023 bucket list.
If you’ve been here awhile you know I put together bucket lists every season to help ensure we make the most of these magical seasons when the kiddos are little. I can’t stop thinking about how we only have 18 summers and we’ve already had six of those with James (tear). I want to make every one count and it’s all going by so fast, so a list of fun activities and memories I hope to make always helps me to feel like I have something to grasp onto during this whirlwind period of life. From travel to settling in to some cute activities, there’s a lot I hope to pack in this summer.
Here’s our summer 2023 bucket list.
August Trip: I need to come up with a trip for us to take in August before school starts. I’m wavering between going somewhere local and doing something bigger or hitting up a favorite spot like Park City. Suggestions of where we can go that actually might have availability still?
Legoland: There’s a location not far from the lake house and I know James would love it. I really want to make it a priority to visit this year.
Paris and France: Andrew and I are taking off for a week in Paris before heading to a friend’s wedding in a small town north of the city. I cannot wait and even though I’m freaking out about being so far from the kids, I am really excited to have a magical adventure.
Quogue: I really want to make an effort to go back to our favorite spot out East for at least for a few days. Hoping on a last-minute rental since we haven’t exactly gotten our stuff together.
Tennis: This is more for me, but I want to get back on the courts. I’ve signed up for weekly clinics to ensure that I make this happen and I’m looking forward to them and maybe getting the hubs on the court for weekly tennis dates, which we used to do during Covid.
Swim Lessons: We’re going to continue these for James and Charlotte. James is pretty good in the water but needs more confidence and water safety is so important to me, especially with three, so I have both kids doing regular lessons throughout the summer.
Sesame Place: I put this on last year’s bucket list and it never happened so figured I’d throw it on there again for one of the weeks when the kids don’t have camp.
Bike Rides: We finally live somewhere that we can bike, so I really want to do family bike rides. Most importantly, I want to teach James how to ride a bike.
Fly Fishing: Andrew does a lot of fly fishing up at the lake, and I’d love to take James and Charlotte out this summer. James really likes fishing and I think it’s the perfect age to start teaching them. Plus, the hike down is always beautiful and fun.
Birthday Party or Getaway for Andrew: I’m thinking about celebrating his July birthday with either a party at the house or a short trip. Any recs?
Camp: I’ve enrolled James in three different camps so that we can try out all the town has to offer, which I’m not sure if I’ll regret because it feels like a lot of different pieces to figure out, but our neighbors are doing the same so I think it’ll be fun for him. Charlotte doesn’t have as many camp options for her age, but I found a few fun ones she’ll try out after her preschool camp gets out and she’ll be doing swim lessons too.
Watch Fireworks: Andrew loves doing a fireworks show for the Fourth of July and I hear there’s a great one in our town, so I’m excited to watch with the kiddos this year.
S’Mores: We love making s’mores at the lake but we now have a fire pit at the house too that we’ll be using for nightly s’mores as well.
Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Sailing and Canoe Rides: Adding this to my summer 2023 bucket list even though it’s on my bucket list every year. We love playing with all the water toys at the lake and the kids are getting old enough where it’s really fun.
Regular Ice Cream Dates: An ice cream cone a day keeps the doctor away in summer, right? At least that’s the rule I let my family live by because these are the types of treat and memories that make life worth living for imo.
Celebrate Charlotte’s FOURTH birthday: I don’t know how my baby is turning four at the end of August, but I’m looking forward to figuring out a fun way to help her celebrate.
Beach: We didn’t spend as much time at the beach last summer as I’d hoped. I’d like to spend more time there this summer with the kids. It’s a nice change-up from the pool, so making this a priority on our summer 2022 bucket list.
Baseball Game: I’d love to take the kids to a Yankees game this summer. I wanted to last year and it never happened, so I’m adding it to the summer 2023 bucket list.
Lemonade Stand: Time for our kids to learn the value of a dollar.
Sprinkler and Bounce House: Sometimes hanging out in the backyard is the best way to end a summer day.
Strawberry Picking: We did this in the Hamptons a couple years ago and the kids loved it. Can’t wait to do it again.
Finish Stage 1 House Projects: I want to finish some of our big stage one house projects — new kitchen countertops and fixtures, wallpapering bedrooms and baths, organizing basement/playroom, primary bed refresh and some landscaping and fencing.
Check Out Local Restaurants: We have so many cute restaurants around us that I want to check out, both in our town and the surrounding towns.
That’s it for my summer 2023 bucket list so far. Anything I should add?!
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