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!