today has been, quite possibly, one of the most perfect days ever. we started the day with a picnic hosted by amy and henry. amy made a scrumpdiddly-umptious spread of food and we all hung out, talked, and knitted atop a $250 wool blanket (i'm not kidding) spread on the green green grass while the kiddos played. that lasted for about three hours, which is almost amazing, since usually within 15 minutes of arriving anywhere, adella tries to either escape or cover herself in mud. i was prepared to pack up and go at the first sign of either, but she played happily with henry and elijah, and much fun was had by all. here's a few pictures: next, we went home. adella napped in the car while i went to the basement to dig out her little pool. while it was filling, i went to the mailbox and found.. a letter! a real old-fashioned letter, from my dear friend emily. by the time adella awoke, the pool was ready. she never even made it into the house. we spent the next three hours splashing and spraying and having lots of watery fun. adella made up a new word today. when i asked her what she was doing, she said, "chalking, mommy!" i can't believe i don't have more pictures of this. i put the pool at the end of the slide and oh, wow - so much fun. adella's very own water slide!