life lately! our JUNE joys from the GRANDS!
- Our Grand Lives
- Jun 30
- 7 min read
Monday, June 30, 2025
Where, oh where did June go???
As another month winds down
we’re taking some time to look back at the past few weeks.
It’s been a wet, squishy June in our world
with a few days of abnormal heat (97 degrees in Minnesota) thrown in,
just for fun, we guess!
Today’s post takes a break from our typical content
as we’re sharing our monthly LIFE LATELY post,
one that gives you a glimpse at what we’ve each been up to in June!
Here’s to the big moments we’ve celebrated,
the little things we’ve savored
and a few more joys that have taken place in between!
One activity that brought me joy this month
was attending the baseball/softball games
of five of our great nieces/nephews, ages 5 -11!
Hubby and I made it to ten games and we've enjoyed every minute of watching these Littles play their hearts out throughout the season!
It's been fun to gather with family and cheer them on!
Our Little D began her first set of “independent” swimming lessons this month. In the past, she has taken child-parent lessons so this was a big step! Her mom scheduled them in the afternoon on the day I take care of her each week, so I am back doing what I gladly said goodbye to at the end of my own children’s childhood – taking a Little to swimming lessons!
I have to admit though,
it is much more joyful doing it as a Grammy!
My daughter-in-law’s band, Maria and the Coins, played a show
at a local zoo’s park mid month.
We toured the zoo first with Little D and Little P!
Then we headed to the park for a picnic and to listen to the music.
I had promised our Littles
that if the band covered Pink Pony Club (by Chappell Roan),
we would go up and dance.
SURPRISE!
The band did and we did!
It was a beautiful night with fabulous music!
Last Christmas, our lucky Little D
received a fabulous gift from her aunt and uncle.
They gave her tickets to go and see the musical Frozen!
(To say that Little D is obsessed with Frozen is an understatement!)
The day finally arrived!
The best part??
Anna was a friend of her aunt and Little D got to meet her AND Elsa after the play!
(FYI - Actors cannot be seen in their costumes for a meet and greet like this!)
This has led to many, many joy-filled Frozen productions at home!
Luckily, Little P is a willing Anna to Little D’s Elsa!
Looking back, June was definitely busier than we thought,
filled with many moments of joy we are sure to cherish!
The month began with a dance recital…
featuring one of our favorite Littles - our grand niece!
Boy, did that bring back LOTS of memories!
Daughter J about 25 years ago!
We then drove to the lake for a few days before we headed home again
as our Wisconsin crew came for a long weekend!
The reason they came a day early…
We had our own tickets to see Frozen at Children’s Theatre Company!
Our own little Elsa loved the performance
and the rest of us did, too,
and we especially loved seeing the performance through Little L's eyes!
We had lots of fun that weekend,
playing at the park, doing projects, visiting with friends and family
BUT
the main event was our second family wedding of the season!
It was a blustery day but the weather held
and the setting couldn’t have been more beautiful!
Our niece's vision really came together perfectly!
We loved the venue and the beautiful wildflowers everywhere!
Of course, these two made the party extra fun for everyone!
Just wondering?
Does anyone else’s hubby have two pairs of glasses
on call at all moments?
At one point, our Little L was so intrigued with the line dancing
while I was equally thrilled with my own call to duty!
I even came home the next day
with some beautiful mementos from a very special celebration!
JOY!
I wish peony season lasted longer in Minnesota!
A few days later, we celebrated the retirement of one of my dear “Rookie” friends!
Yes, that’s what our special group of teacher friends call ourselves!
It was the name we came up with
-the Rookie Club-
when we all began our teaching careers in the same district thirty-five years ago!
(We were the first new hires in several years!)
These days, we keep adding members to our newly minted group...
-the Retirement Club!
It’s a fun group to be part of, too!!!
Our gift to the new retiree?
A GRAND basket filled and ready for Mimi’s Retirement Adventures with her own Littles!
We celebrated Father’s Day with Daughter A
at one of Hubby’s favorite watering holes!
They have quite an extensive list of options for our whiskey loving guy!
Served neat, always!
Then, because it wasn’t too rainy or too hot one day,
Hubby and I were able to get away mid month
for a day trip of hiking (for both of us) and photography (mostly for him)!
We are blessed with several state parks within an hour’s drive of our family’s lake home in northern Wisconsin and the waterfalls at each were gushing, compliments of our unusually high rainfall levels! We stopped at two parks and had a joyful day celebrating the official arrival of summer! I did take a few photos... with my iPhone!
After our little respite, we returned to Minneapolis for the weekend.
I had offered to help my brother and his family host a family grad party!
The prepping on Saturday was H-O-T!
We were glad that none of the bouquets we created wilted.
Thank goodness for the air conditioning going full blast!
The party on Sunday was equally warm and windy
(97 degrees in June in Minnesota is more than we typically bargain for!)
We’re happy to report that all of us survived Day Two of the heat
and our high school grad had a blast!
This was the dessert area…
Can you tell what her favorite color might be?
After a few days back home, grocery shopping, doing laundry
and packing a suitcase once again,
we headed back to the lake last week!
Ahhh!
I really wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else!
Thanks for taking the time to stop by
and catch-up on the past month with us!
We’re grateful for all the joy we found in our everyday lives
and we’re thankful for each of you and this community, too!
We always welcome your comments!.
We value your insights, ideas and suggestions and the time you take to check in!
Please feel free to comment at the end of this post or email us directly at
And, of course,
We’ve always got something new popping up there,
thanks to Laurie!
We plan to take the rest of this week off from blogging
as we each share time with family and loved ones!
Look for us to return
next Thursday (July 10) with Week 5 of our GRAND summer fun!
Later this week, our country will celebrate a special day!
If you are still looking for last minute ideas,
check out these recent posts for some holiday inspiration!
and
In the midst of the sparklers and parades
and all the red, white and blue festivities,
let us not forget that July 4 is a day to remember the birth of our country
and a day to celebrate the gifts of liberty, freedom and democracy!
May we do all that we can to protect and honor each always,
for ourselves and our Littles
A few years ago our patriotic Littles were all dressed up
to celebrate their first 4th of July!
For both of us, it was our first year celebrating the holiday as GRANDS!
What a fun holiday that was for our families!
As we recall sweet moments from the past like this one
we’re also ready to make new memories with loved ones…
After all, there are now two younger firecrackers
ready to join in this year's star spangled fun!
We hope your Fourth of July is filled with such moments!
💗 We are delighted to join the following link up parties and blog hops! 💗
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Thanks so much for sharing your month, and your lovely families too! It looks like you all had a fab time, with lots of memories made. I hope July is just as fun for you all. Have a wonderful week, lovely ladies! 💕 😊
What a great catch up Laurie and Laura, so many fun times you've had during June. I love the way your families get together and celebrate, it looked amazing!
Deb from Deb's World #Teamwwwhimsy
debs-world.com
Hi Laurie & Laurie, what a wonderful June you've both had full of making memories with your family which is just the best! Thank goodness for aircon during those hot days. It's been really cold & windy here in Brisbane, Australia though I'm sure you experience far worse in your winters there. I'm off now to daydream about having my own lakehouse - how wonderful! Thank you for sharing with us at #WWWhimsy and best wishes for an equally fabulous July! xo
What a fun and busy month! Great to see all the activities and family photos.
It looks like such a fun and family filled month!! Thanks for stopping over! I really enjoyed this post!