Big Celebrations

We were out in NJ on Saturday celebrating Nana's 85th birthday and Nana & Papa's 65th anniversary. I'm pretty sure Nana is older than me. And while I don't know anything about anniversaries, I did just tell Mommy that " I don't want to marry a Daddy that speaks Spanish." (I started Spanish camp last week and am having a bit of a hard time being myself with kids and instructors that don't always speak English.)

Anyway, everyone was speaking English at Nana and Papa's, so a great time was had by all.

What's a party without (messy) sweets?

And without family?

 

Nana and Papa, you are an inspiration to our family. Oh, and Nana, I hope I look as good as you do in 82 years!

Love and matching chevron dresses,

Zadia Love

Madeline Never Sweats

It was 95 degrees today. And I have opinions. What do you get when you put those together? 

A 3-year-old wearing a fleece costume to the playground on a hot summer day, of course.

I don't know why Mommy kept asking me if I was hot and if I wanted to change my clothes. I was totally fine! (She was probably just asking me because she was embarrassed to be seen with me wearing my dress-up clothes in public.)

Love and looking good in anything,

Zadia Love

Afternoon Tea

We had a few weeks in between school ending and camp starting. So we filled our days with lots of fun play dates. Mommy thought it would a good opportunity to introduce some of my girl friends to each other (especially since we'll all be in the same preschool in September.) We invited Hana (my neighbor from the old apartment) and Bella (my current neighbor) up for some afternoon tea.

There were soooo many things to get excited about. After all, this was my first real tea party. After we met Daddy for lunch that day, we stopped into a bakery and bought mini cupcakes for me and my friends.

Mommy made iced tea (which tasted yucky, so we drank lemonade instead), and we had a selection of skirts, hats, and jewelry out for all the little princesses.

Bella, Aiyana, and I couldn't get enough sugar. We each ate three cupcakes, and we kept adding more and more sugar to our lemonade.

 

Mmmm...

Hana wasn't as interested in tea service, but her little brother, Aiden, sure wished he were one of the girls that day. We're pretty sure he finished off the cupcakes when we stepped away to powder our noses.

Love and sweet afternoon delight,

Zadia Love

Helmet Head

Whether out for frozen yogurt or grocery shopping with Mommy, the helmet remains on my little head. Taking this helmet from me is even worse than taking candy from a baby. Don't even think about it!

Love and little things that make me happy,

Aiyana Eden

Potty Counting

Mommy has us count to ten when we're applying fake tattoos. Here I am imitating that process (while also going potty.)

This was the first time Mommy and Daddy heard me count to eleven, with seven, eight, and nine being my favorite numbers (see video below.) 

 

Love and cute counting, 

Aiyana Eden

Mr. Golden Sun

Aiyana was right. This is currently my favorite song in the whole world. Doesn't it just make you want to smile, even if the sun isn't shining?

 

Love and a ray of sunshine,

Zadia Love

Salt Water and Sandy Toes

After a wet Saturday morning in East Hampton, the rain tapered off and the clouds broke. Maybe because Zadia repeatedly sang her favorite song, "Mister Golden Sun." 

Finally, we were off to the beach. We haven't been to a beach since November, but we hadn't forgotten how much we love it. We were both fearless, running into the crashing waves with wild abandon. It's pretty scary how little fear I have, actually. 

And don't for a second think that we let Mommy and Daddy relax.

We like to make them work hard, even on vacation.

Love and sand in between my little toes,

Aiyana Eden

When Life Gives You Lemons

Saturday morning was supposed to be our beach day in East Hampton, but we woke up to clouds and rain. No sun? No problem. I suggested we make lemonade, and then despite the rain, I insisted on standing outside to sell it. 

We set up a table at the end of the driveway, but I couldn't understand why we weren't getting any customers. Mommy had to explain that there are far fewer people in East Hampton, and in fact they drive everywhere, not walk like they do in Brooklyn. So we walked up and down the street (in the rain) and tried to recruit people to buy my lemonade.

Every business woman needs a plan. So I told Mommy that if we saw adults, she could ask them if they'd like to buy lemonade, and if we saw kids, I would ask them. I said I wouldn't be shy. But we didn't see anybody, so I went back to my post to sample the lemonade while we waited for business to pick up.

And then (finally) a car drove by and Mommy flagged him down. I only asked for seven and a half coins, but our friendly neighbor gave me four dollars. And I made four more dollars after that!

I've read so much about lemonade stands in my books and was so excited to make my own. But I had no idea how much fun it could really be! Mommy can we do this every day?

Get ready Brooklyn. I make a serious lemonade and I'll be selling it on your street corner near you soon!

Love and pink lemonade,

Zadia Love

Strawberry Lovers

It's no secret that I love berries. Mommy made me blueberry cupcakes for my first birthday and strawberry is my absolute favorite flavor of ice cream. So when Mommy and Daddy told me we were going strawberry picking on our way out to East Hampton this past weekend, I was beside myself. It was the beginning of a very sweet weekend (more photos to come.)

Oh, and raspberries aren't so bad either.

Love and very berry sweetness,

Zadia Love