puddle jumping

elias swimming

li and remi

a peek at our summer.

whew! today is the first day of school and i should be getting ada ready and spending quality time with her, but she is still sleeping... at 6:57am! ok- for most of you this may not seem like a big deal, but my get up before the roosters crow so i consider it a major accomplishment.

instead i spent the early hour uploading pictures from our summer jaunt to canada to visit my grandmother, honey, and family. truly a wonderful trip, the kids loved seeing (my) "their" big girl cousins, and playing on the beach day in and day out. i have taken trips to this wonderful place every single summer since i was born (minus two summers in young adulthood!) i can only hope that my kids will be so lucky!

the kids and "their" cousins.

ada thought she was about 12 years old the entire time we were there.

ada exploring. our wedding reception was in the boathouse i the background.

elias' new best friend, remi.

thats my girl!

so cute!

on honey's front lawn.

movie night! aristocats.

elias pushed this truck all week.

and that is my boy!

elias took boat riding very seriously.

relaxing with poppi.

snacks. my children's favorite past time.

the favorite activity.

cheesing it up! notice the death grip ada has around elias' neck!

ada and her nande.

with honey.

then we came back to chapel hill and visited the zoo the following weekend. the kids had a blast, but were so tuckered out 75% through the zoo that we had to make an early departure. did i mention that we met shannon and brendon there! the joys of living so close, it was so nice to meet them there!

riding the carousel.

tired.

it's almost time to play ketchup!

i have to admit, i don't think i have looked at my blog for weeks. i think about writing things all the time, but busy-ness has taken over and i can't seem to get a grip. i have loads of summer pictures i want to share, but i have also lost my camera cord so there is no way to upload (that is on my to-do list today though!)

all aside, yesterday was a very special day. reza and i celebrated our sixth anniversary. six years- holy cow! we can't believe how many turns our lives have taken over the past six years. we have moved three times, made three children (one still has to cook a little while!), and grown up so much together. he is perfect... for me! so loving, so calm, and so dedicated. what more could a girl ask for?

us. six whole years ago!

ada starts school and soccer this week which will be a wonderful change from me playing fairies for most of my days. elias won't know what to do with his big sister gone, but i promise, we will have fun!

more to come later...

hot afternoons.

i like the heat. i really do, but it makes it hard to play outside too long with the kiddos. almost every afternoon we do a little activity together and then go to the pool. hence, my seriously tan children. here's a glimpse at our activities.

making cookies. ada had a blast but HATES for me to take her picture.

but eating cookies makes her so happy she can't help but hula hoop!

an afternoon tea party. lias ate all the good snacks and left ada with a pile of almonds. this did not make her happy!

painting. seemed like a GREAT idea!

elias loved it until he messed up all of ada's pictures. then ran away right through the middle of the paint straight into the house. paint and footprints everywhere.

when all else fails, storytime with auntie is always a crowd pleaser!

four is funny.

ada wet the bed last night. not so funny. but this morning i told her we were going to have a little family clean up time. i told her that i needed her help putting clean sheets on her bed. her response was:

"mommy,

you really don't get to do many things fun.

and cleaning up is a little bit fun,

you always tell me.

so, i am going to just let you clean by yourself.

don't worry about me. i will be playing fairies."

dumbfounded. i made the bed by myself. i can't figure out if she is outsmarting me, or really just trying to be nice.

i also asked her yesterday if she had any names she had picked out for our pending baby girl. she said, yes, she has two names but i can pick. PINKISH, or ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

perfect names. i can't wait to choose.