Summer is here!

Opal's new discovery. She loves Rio's water dish and I can get at least a 3 to 5 minute job done if I let her play in it.
An amazing sushi dinner with some amazing neighbors.

This is why all of a sudden an entire day will go by and nothing gets done. I spend my time running after this fast, curious almost 10 month old.

Ian and Ila celebrated summer solstice and aunt Livia's birthday by sleeping outside on the deck. Ila didn't move all night, but the raccoons walking along our fence and eating cherries out of the neighbor's tree for two hours sure kept Ian awake.

I knew that Ila would entertain Opal, but I had no idea how much Opal would entertain Ila. It is amazing to see their relationship develop. I've tried hard not to put any responsibility on the big sis and she takes so much on herself. In the above pic O kept trying to crawl off the futon mattress and Ila would pull her back and they would laugh so hard.

I realize the girls are cute, but the real reason for posting this one is to show off the pillows I made for our living room.

I checked on Ila one night and this is what I found. If any adult tried to keep up with her for a whole day I'm pretty sure they couldn't. She goes hard from wake-up to bedtime.

Ila saw this spaghetti squash on the counter and said, "Mom, that is a HUGE lemon." She was serious.

This poor baby's top teeth are about to come in. We have found that a cold beer bottle is the best teether in the world. No, we don't let her tip the bottle. Sweet sisters hanging out on the couch one morning.

I have to say, I was dreading summer a bit only because I really loved my 4 hours away at work every day. It was the perfect balance for me. I have been surprised about how much I've enjoyed this first week off, especially the slow mornings. We manage to fill our days without even thinking about it. Some are slower than others, but all in all its the best gift to have this time with my kids. Ian and I wish we could figure out a way to keep them small...especially now that Opal is SLEEPING ALL NIGHT. Don't tell her I told you or she might stop!

Butterfuly House Graduation

What an amazing two years Ila had a the Butterfly House. It is a sweet little preschool here in Talent. When she started there, she was so scared. She insisted she could not make friends. It was so sad. I kept thinking, "You are only 3 years old. You aren't supposed to be able to make friends yet." She gained so many skills there, superfriendmaker being one of them. She loved the art studio and always told me what she had for snack. My favorite days were showing up and all the kids were playing with water in the yard in their underwear. We could have made our own sandbox with all of the sand she brought home in her shoes...and other places. We are sad to see it end...but KINDERGARTEN is just around the corner!

Lauren, one of Ila's teachers, sprinkled her with fairy dust and wished her well...

Ila's good friends Aliah and Violet.

Britt Festival...Michael Franti

Ila on stage. Can you find her? I think she's the smallest one up there.

PARTY ANIMAL Ila and Sunny having a blast together. We were so lucky to run into our Musser family friends.

Ila was on Ian's shoulders throughout the entire concert. You can see her silhouette here.

It was another fantastic concert this year. Michael Franti is a great performer with amazing energy. Not to mention he's easy to look at, right Carrie? Ila wanted to be up front all night and after the picnic dinner, Opal slept on me in the front pack the rest of the night. When we got home at midnight and they were both wide awake and wired I questioned our parenting, but only for a minute. It was totally worth it!

Table Rock Hike

Julian, Adrian, Oliver, Africa, Ila

A couple of weeks ago Carolyn, Dawn and I took the troops on a hike up Table Rock. The kids were all really great...even Opal. After having lunch at the top, the adventurers starting catching little frogs. They were everywhere! At one point, Ila had 5 in her hand at once. There were some tears when the frogs had to be let go, but we made it back to the car with 6 very happy, tired kids.

She's 5!!!!!!!!

We took Ila to a special birthday dinner at Oh's Osaka in Medford because she had been wanting to go to the restaurant where they cook the food in front of you. It was really sweet. She looked so cute in her birthday dress and she loved the fried rice.

THE HUGE UNICORN CAKE was a huge hit. It was made with love by Grandma Kris. Ila wanted a pink and white unicorn cake and that's what she got...complete with a gold horn and cotton candy clouds. The cake not only looked good, but tasted delicious. Of course it was made from scratch. My mom is amazing!

I don't think Ashlynn minded sharing her daddy for a few minutes.

Wii Dance competition between Uncle Eric and Ila. I think Ila let him win:) By the way, that was the best surprise! Ila's Uncle Eric, Aunt Allison and Cousin Luci showed up at the party and we didn't know they were coming. They drove all the way from Portland. We all loved seeing them and are looking forward to more time with them now that Eric has only 3 more weeks of his residency. Great job getting through a grueling 11 years of medical school and residency. Can't wait to celebrate!

These two cousins could not be any cuter together. We love you Natalie Grace Heuberger!

So much for a little relaxing by the pool. Aunt Mimi, you're the best.

On her 5th birthday, Ila Sage got to teach her Grandad Les how to make and eat a s'more. Can you believe it was his first time trying one? I don't think it was his last. He likes his sweets after dinner so I'm sure next time he's down Ila will be glad to remind him how to make one.

It was another special birthday weekend for Ila with all of her family here. The cousins have so much fun together and get along great. It was a landmark get together because Ila didn't have one single melt-down. She was awesome! She has really matured this last 6 months. She is very excited about summer and she's definitely looking forward to kindergarten in the fall. I guess it's inevitable...the growing up thing. But I wish it wasn't happening so fast!