end of summer

well.  we're here at the end of summer.  boo.  i love summer.  it's my favorite.  and this summer i am so lucky to be able to be at home with my son, especially at this age when he is learning so many new skills and doing so much investigating and exploring. it's just a few days before school starts for me, so i wanted to go back and remember all the awesome stuff we did these past 3 months.

discovered the washing machine

hung out with papa jim

played in the park

explored the beach with cousin lucy and grama and grampa

played with our friends liam, stone and storm

practiced walking

checked out the snohomish river with apryl

took a bath with our friend A

splashed in the greenlake kiddie pool

made many messes!

painted the back deck

played in the dirt. a lot.

water play on hot days

turned one, had a birthday party and ate a cupcake for the first time

mmmmm cupcake!

swinging at the park

rode on our very first tricycle all over the neighborhood

directed traffic

played in the pool

decorated our house with flowers from our yard

played with hennie one last time

went to a seattle sounders game with friends

flew to california to visit mama bozorg and baba bozorg

ate pashmak (a persian cotton candy type dessert) for the first time and went crazy for it

went to palo alto to visit more family

hung out with our friend lana

learned how to mow

went to the twin cousins' first birthday party

visited with our friends tia, alex, and jasper

spent a little time with our dear friends jay and gayana

mama's birthday!  went to tropicos breeze and ate copious amounts of latin american foods

went to deception pass

learned anatomy

ate dinner outside on beautiful, warm nights

visited our new friend landon

went to the spray park with the cousins

harvested tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, lots of herbs, lettuces, spinach and plums from our garden

went to the evergreen state fair

rode on a carousel

visited a p-patch

went to the zoo for the first time with lana

flew to california again

and when we were there we ate lots of yummy treats

and got our first haircut

chilled some more with little A

spent some time with some wonderful friends

tried to take some family pictures

what a wonderful summer.  we spent time with lots of our great friends, started Bahai children's classes with some of our besties, took lots of trips to target and lowe's, worked on some house and yard projects, learned how to grow food in our gardens, spent time with family, took two trips to california to visit family, z turned one!  went to lots of parks, went to the beach near grama and grampa's house, deception pass, the kirkland waterfront, greenlake, played in our kiddie pool at home and at mama bozorg and baba bozorg's, visited former co-workers, said hi to everyone in every grocery store, airport, department store, oncoming car, etc.  we read lots of books and learned how to walk, and later run, we slept a little bit and cut 6 new teeth!  we all learned how to be a cohesive family unit and push each other to grow.  we finally eat at the dinner table together!   we are still learning how to be patient and calm.  but we have had a super fun, at times difficult, eye-opening, and active summer, and i can't be more grateful for all of it, the good and the challenging.