A trip to the Zoo!

We love the Smithsonian Zoo and even though we don't make it there as often as we used to, we try to go now and again. Here was a really fun day when we went with a few friends. Avery especially loved the gorillas and the flamingos. Ethan used to love the flamingos too. He would always call them "Mingos!" It was so cute. Ethan loves the snake house most of all, much to my frustration because it is stinky, hot and I have to pick them up to see every snake. But we make it a must see every visit because he loves it so much.

Feeding the Geese

We are just lucky the geese didn't attack the kids! What was I thinking letting them get this close! But they loved it anyways.

Virginia Beach

This was a perfect day! We took the kids to the beach and the weather was perfect and the kids were happy. What more can you want? Nonna was there also, so of course the kids loved playing with her. She is so good at getting down and really playing the kids. They just love her! Avery loved the birds and would feed them, but them go running after them and chase them off! She absolutely loves the sand and was such a disaster! Check out that 10 lb diaper from her sitting in the water! She is so cute!

The Virginia Aquarium!

This was such a fun day! This Aquarium is ideal for kids and they had so much fun. They especially loved the shark tank, with tons of sharks and a "fake submarine" with about 1,000 buttons to push. I couldn't tear them away! They loved it! And the turtle was seriously cooperative - more so than Ethan ever is!

There's Nothin better than Cousins

We got to spend some time with the Bischoff cousins in their new home in VA Beach. The kids had a blast together and Ethan is so happy to have them living close now! We spent lots of time outside, even though it was still pretty chilly. We rode bikes (and got locked out of the house - Mary and I had to go to the neighbors to use a phone and call Eric to come let us in the house!), fed the ducks, went to the park, went for walks, the aquarium and the beach (more on these 2 to come!)

A Rainy Day at the Bounce House

When it rains, we head to the bounce house to get out some energy. Avery even got in on the action a little this time! The kids had a great time!

Zoo!

Cousins! Ethan and Sydney play so well together and just love each other!
Looking at the pandas.
Avery checking out the pandas.
Eric and I with the troop of kids!

We are so excited to report that Brooke and Eric and kids have moved closer to us! So we have gotten to spend some time together over the past few weeks while they were looking for a house and staying with us. We had some great weather, so we took a trip to the zoo. This was the first time Avery has been when she could actually appreciate seeing the animals. It was fun to see her get so excited about them!