I can’t believe that summer officially ends on Friday. While it feels like it’s been going on forever, it also feels like we were just going to that Cubs game in June. Since we’re feeling reflective, Mitch and I put together this video yesterday to document some of our favorite moments with Emma spent by the water. In her first full summer, our little girl visited Ocean City, New Jersey; Lake Bloomington, Illinois; Lake Michigan in both Chicago and Michigan City; and the Pacific Ocean. And the word is out: she’s a beach baby, through and through! (Fun fact: my dad and I danced to “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright III at my wedding, and I kiiiind of always knew I wanted to make a cute video to “The Swimming Song” if I one day had a daughter. 😉).

Anyway, we think the video perfectly represents Emma’s amazing personality, demeanor and outlook on life. This seems silly considering she’s only one, but truthfully, we’ve learned a lot from her over this past year!

Today, we’re teaming up with our good friend Emily from Isn’t That Charming to talk about what we’ve learned from our kiddos. This is part of our regular motherhood series, and if you’ve missed our previous posts, here are a few faves: How We Chose Emma’s Name, The Dad Survival Guide, and How Many Children Do You Want to Have? And yes, Mitch takes over and contributes to the motherhood column every once in a while when I’m exhausted because you know: motherhood. ;) Be sure to swing by Em’s blog to read her post; she’s an amazing writer and she’s served as a role model to me for a while now!

So let’s get to it.