Maryland vacation

What a lovely time we had visiting our friends in the DC area!  Pictures are in the gallery.  Last week, Heather and I were chatting about how much we missed getting to know each other’s girls as they’ve grown from babies to toddlers this past year.

Heather mentioned that there were really cheap (read $100) plane tickets from Milwaukee to Baltimore, but the sale ended that night.  So Bryan and I had some quick conversations, and I found myself on a flight one week later!

Sylvie had a really hard time on the flight.  Her ears must have been killing her, because boy, was she miserable on the descent.  As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, our first few days were fun but rather rough in the Sylvie department due to a lack-of-nap issue.  We stayed pretty close to home and visited some beautiful local parks and playgrounds.  The kids had fun in a kiddie pool, sand box, and baby swing; and Pippin-the-dog was a constant source of amusement for Sylvia.

On Saturday, Sylive started napping again, and we started enjoying some fun interactions between her and Evelyn.  My dear friend Kacy and her new husband, Ruediger have just bought a new home.  In fact, they’ve only just moved in over the last week!  Heather, the kids, and I headed over to Kace’s house on Saturday, and we had a lovely time exploring their new home and enjoying each other’s company for a couple hours.  Kace has lived in the same one room apartment for the last (I’m guessing) eight years, so a big house is a big (and I’m sure welcome) change!  Seeing Kace again makes me wish our paths crossed much more regularly.  Our times together are such fun!

On Sunday, we got the baby girls dressed up in sweet outfits and headed to downtown Takoma Park to take part in a free mini-photo shoot at a chic baby boutique.  The photographer got a few nice shots of Andrew and Sylvia together, so when we get the proofs in a couple weeks, I’ll see if there are any worth purchasing!  With the girls in their cute clothes, I had to snap a few shots of my own…

On Suday afternoon, the Lerners and I headed over to Grace and Tim and John’s house for a BBQ.  We did a sing-along, hung out, made dinner, and in general had a lovely time.  My friend Lara came over too!  What a lovely afternoon.  That evening, we stayed at Grace and Tim’s.  Andrew and John had a sleep-over in John’s room together.  The giggling that came out of that room was really something to hear.  <snicker snicker> <giggggggllllleee!!!!> <snortle snortle>  When Grace when in to tell them to quiet down, she heard a mad rush of boys jumping back in bed as she came down the hall.  Eventually I had to emulate my mom and sit in a rocking chair to enforce silence.  Such cute boys!  They really had fun playing together.  Tim and Grace and John are coming out to visit us July1-5.  I’m already looking forward to it!

On Monday morning, Heather, the kids and I headed downtown to go to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.  What a place!  It’s a beautiful museum.  We got to see preserved giant squids, dino bones, and we even got tickets to a special butterfly exhibit.

Heather and Michael are part of a dinner co-op, and Monday was their day to cook, so in the afternoon, Heather and I cooked up a meal for four families (three plus ourselves).  We delivered the meals as the sun set (Andew insisted on me carrying him on my back, and Sylvie wouldn’t ride in the stroller, so it was a strenuous walk!).  That evening, Heather finished making a reversable dress for Sylvie.  Evie is going to have a matching one…so cute!

Overall, the week flew by.  As I looked back at pictures, it was hard to believe that so much time had gone by!   I feel really lucky to have gotten to spend time with good friends.  We had lovely and generous hosts, and now I’m chalk full of fresh memories and conversations from our time together.  Thanks everyone!  I can’t wait to see you again soon:)