Today felt like Saturday

Seriously. Three out of the kids' four grandparents were in town and at our house for part of the day, as was Apa. Bubby and Poppa, Sacha's parents, are visiting for a week, and my mom was here for some meetings and carved out some time for us today. We had a big adventurous day!

My mom brought pastries and other goodies for breakfast and then she and Poppa and I took the kids to two parks. That took the rest of the morning. Then, the kids napped and the adults chatted while I worked out (and Sacha's parents went for a run - they are doing the couch to 5K thing!) and then
Mateo woke up right afterward. Then, Sacha and her dad and I took them to the zoo.

Usually, going to the zoo in the late afternoon is perfect, because most people are leaving and you have the place to yourself. However, we forgot about the zoo summer concert series! The place was packed with concert-goers, so it wasn't quite as relaxing as it might have been, but we still had fun. I didn't bring the camera, but we went to see the bears, the fish, otters, and went to the petting zoo. The kids loved it, and didn't even put up too much of a fuss when we left.

Then, we got a quick dinner to go from a local market and put the kids to bed. Now, Sacha's parents, they of the unstoppable energy, are out dancing the night away and Sacha and I are about to hit the sack. It felt so much like a Saturday that surely tomorrow must be Sunday, but no! This is what summer is all about, especially when one is a stay-at-home mom married to a teacher. I know a lot of schools have already started, so I have nothing to complain about, but I can't believe she has to go back to work in two weeks. We have all so enjoyed having family time this summer!

Also, huge congrats to our friends E and M on the birth of their new baby boy! Their older son is also named Mateo, so it's wonderful to see him become a big brother just like our Mateo is!

Here are some photos from our park adventures:

I may have mentioned this before, but Mateo refers to this bike rack as his "house" and likes to have people pretend to ring the doorbell to come in. Luckily, Poppa was on the invite list!

Little sister with a new haircut and the tiniest two pigtails ever!

Talking to Grammy at the "front door"

Have I mentioned how much I love this kid?

He is SO into learning how to go down these poles on his own. Not quite there yet, but getting close. Oh, and I love him, too!

This one likes to hang with her belly out...

...much more than she actually likes to slide. Mostly, she likes to camp out at the top.

Getting some help from Poppa in her 18-month jeans. No matter, she's got mad two-year-old park skillz.

Accidentally had the camera set to "retro" for this one, but I loved the way it came out.

Snuggles when she did finally slide down into Poppa's arms

Striking out on her own...

...to find her brother in the bat pose. Future gymnast? Yogi? Only time will tell!