A Little Game of Catch-Up

I feel so terrible that many of the recent blog posts are more of a catch up vs. a this-is-us-in-the-now, but what can I say.  We are just too busy enjoying the summer and being in the moment to have time to reflect on it.  So here I am...ready to catch you up on what's been happening.  But since I am short on time, I am going to use minimal words and lots of visuals. :)

James' Big Boy Room
This beautiful green monster has been sitting in this state for almost 2 weeks.  We have been too crazed to get our butts in gear!!!  Soon enough, this kid will be able to move into his new room.

Burke Lake

One word - Biking.

4th of July

All I have to say is PARADE!!!!  This was James' first parade and he LOVED it!  From big men in tiny cars to Redskin cheerleaders to librarians with carts, this parade had it all.  

Fountains & Ice Cream

How do the two go together, you ask?  Well, they don't.  I'm just saving time by putting some darn cute photos under the same headline!  The fountains are at a local town center.  James gets a kick out of the water and takes about 20 minutes to get the courage to actually step near it. 

Weekend in Philly

To sum it up, our Philly trip is best described as AWESOME!  We stayed in a great downtown hotel close to everything (and had lots of fun on the elevator).  We hit the Please Touch Museum and the Philadelphia Zoo which were both BIG hits with the little man.  We found some great local restaurants and ate some delicious food.  We chair danced while eating ice cream at Reading Terminal Market.  What could be better?!

Bubbles

The kid is obsessed with bubbles.  OBSESSED!!  When he wakes up in the morning, he asks to play bubbles.  When he walks out the door and sees the bubble barrel on the porch, he says hello and goodbye to the bubbles.  He eats dinner as if he were the Flash so that he can play with the bubbles.  He loves bubbles.  Bubbles are his life.  Bubbles are his love.  Thank you to whoever invented bubbles.

Dave Matthews Concert

We once again fulfilled our summer pilgrimage to Jiffy Lube Live to catch our/my favorite band in action.  This year's show did not disappoint, nor did the special VIP passes that my darling sister Sue's friend landed us.  Free food and alcohol AND a band member sighting - Mr. Rashawn Ross.  He is a newer member playing trumpet and other brass instruments (RIP Leroy!).  The concert itself was AMAZING with a really strong setlist.  We had a GREAT time - and thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for offering their babysitting services!

Potty Training

The time has come.  Soon enough, we will be a diaper free zone.  We are in the practice stage right now - just getting used to sitting on the potty.  But I see a potty training bootcamp weekend in our future!!

He is soooooooo going to kill me for putting that photo on the Internet when he is older.  :)

So that's what's going on.  I have a feeling that the next blog will be another catch-up at the end of August.  On the calendar we have a Nationals Game, a trip to Dutch Wonderland, a visit from Adriana & John and a possible visit from Grandma M.  See you in a month!

Mama's Takin' Us to the Zoo Tomorrow...We Can Play All Day!

If you are not a parent to a small child, you probably don't recognize the reference to the Raffi song and are absolved from pressing Play below.  Those of you who were bopping your head when you read the title, this is for you:

Why am I putting you through this torturous exciting musical experience?  Why, to tell you that we went to the zoo of course!  Last Saturday was one of the nicest days on record so we decided to pack up the car and head to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

One of the best things about this zoo is that it is free.  And typically you get what you pay for, but when it comes to the National Zoo, that is not the case.  This zoo is filled with all sorts of beautiful animals placed along different themed trails and walks.  The most popular section these days is the Asia Trail where the adorable pandas live.  A new cub was born a few weeks back and although she is not on display, you can get a peek at her on the Panda Cam!  There are actually all sorts of cameras set up on the zoo's website to view all the animals.

But we weren't at the zoo to watch them on camera. We were there to see them in the flesh - and boy did we!  With the weather being so nice, the animals were out and about ready to be photographed.  From small critters like the prairie dogs and turtles to big guys like lions and zebras, we saw it all!

The biggest hit of the day was over at the Think Tank with the lovable orangutans. There were 2 of them hanging around and the female decided to come on over to say hi to James and pose for some photos.  She was so close to the glass that James actually got a little spooked and started freaking out. He pulled it together though as soon as she started to walk away.

After a quick lunch (where James decided he would eat his fruit cup from the comforts of the ground), we made our way to the Elephant House where one of these cool guys entertained us with a dance.  James was all smiles watching the big guy boogie!

We eventually made our way to the Great Ape area and were surprised to see all of the gorillas outside playing.  There are a total of 6 gorillas at the National Zoo at this time - the youngest born in 2009.  James LOVED watching these guys in action and made lots and lots of monkey sounds while we were there.

All in all, we had a great time.  James even got to ride on a Merry-Go-Round for the first time and he absolutely loved it.  Thank goodness - I wasn't about to tuck and roll off of it with him in my arms if he had a melt down!