Friday ten.

1. I have a backlog of summer images and stories to blog about, but it seems we're a bit busy living all those summer images and stories so they'll come when they come, I suppose.

2. Alla's two front teeth are steadily growing in but there's still clearly a gap.3. As soon as I get a shot of her one way, something else changes! Yesterday she got this lovely 'do, which, goodness, suits her so.4. One night last week, Fisher got up after bedtime to pee and told me, Do you know that my underwear have a pocket? He then proceeds to figure out how to get his hand into that little tiny pee-pee hole and smiles hugely, as if to say I told you so.) See, you can put your hand in there. What is the pocket for?, I asked. I don't know, for stuff I want to carry. Like what? Like [trucks] from my car basket.

5. I took Alla to Dairy Queen the night after her last soccer game. She told me she didn't even ask to go after the game with her teammates because she knew Fisher couldn't have it and if we went he'd be jealous so she just grabbed herself one of the popsicles a parent brought for snack. That girl is something else.

6. That night, apparently, was topped off by getting to take a bath with Mommy and then Mommy telling her a story. She decided she would lotion my feet while I told her a story, which she then told me was going to be a symbiotic relationship because I was getting my feet lotioned and she was getting to hear a story.

7. We celebrated 9 years of marriage this week, but really and truly celebrated with our favorite people last week when they were here and the four of us got to go out. Together. Sans kids. To a rooftop restaurant for dinner and then a different restaurant where we introduced them to butterscotch pudding. Their 9-year anniversary is next week.8. We also had our awesome block party last weekend, so of course I have tons of shots from that, if I ever get to them.

9. This morning the kids and I discovered a nature park fifteen minutes from home. Huge rocks, tunnels, logs, sand pit with toys galore, and, o holy grail, a shallow stream where the water is kid-activated. I think if I'd have brought a picnic lunch, the kids might have taken a nap there in the shade and then gone right back at it. Delightful.

10. The kids start two weeks of swim class on Monday. Fisher has grown leaps and bounds with vacation and swimming at Nana and Pappi's, so let's hope he doesn't cry through the entire first lesson again.