Double Jerch Bumps

So, I forced my sister to take these pictures with me to prove someday that we were actually preggers at the same time since it likely won't happen again. She is closing in on 20 weeks and I am hitting the 38 week mark today. Ellen was really funny while Andy was taking these shots because she kept looking at us smiling and then she would start smiling. She says she's excited for her baby sister but we're not really sure she understands what's happening and I'm sure she has no clue how her world is going to change! But, she has started to pee in the potty so we're hoping that means I don't have to change two sets of diapers forever! Hopefully Baby Shuckie makes an appearance sometime soon!

Special Time with Dad

Ellen recently traveled with her dad to Traverse City, MI to visit Nana and Baba at their summer cabin. I stayed behind given that I was 35 weeks pregnant and needed some time to prepare for Andy's 40th casino bash. Although I missed them both immensely, they had a great time and Ellen came home with a deep attachment to daddy. It was very cute to see. Lucky for me because they're going to be hanging out quite a bit in the coming weeks when baby Shuckie arrives!

Ellen's First Beach Trip

So I've been a very deliquent blogger but I'm back now, at least for a couple of weeks before baby #2 is born. I'll be posting a series pictures over the next couple of days. Here are some great pictures of our trip with friends to Emerald Isle, NC. With four couples and five kids under 4 in one house, it was chaos but lots of fun. This was Ellen's first trip to the beach and she loved it. Hopefully this will become an annual trip with friends.

Memorial Day Weekend with the Family

For Memorial Day weekend we traveled to NC to spend a weekend with my family for my dad and his twin brother's 60th birthday celebration. We took over a quaint inn in the mountains of NC and enjoyed lots of hiking, boating and downtime. It was great to get away from the craziness of DC and enjoy the outdoors for a bit. The only drawback was the 9+ hour drive home. Funny enough, Ellen handled it better than her parents thanks to the handy portable dvd player and a couple of Elmo videos!!

Ellen and Gramps steer the boat!

Enjoying the bonfire and lots of family time

Uncle Ted shows Ellen how to ride a bear

Ellen and Great Grandma Jerch (aka Gigi)

Ellen's first boat ride was a success!

New Look

As Ellen gets a little older and her hair a little longer, we're experimenting with some fun new hairstyles! It's fun to see Ellen turning into a little girl. We think she's going to be a great big sister!

Day on the Farm

We recently spent the morning visiting Frying Pan Farm out in Herndon, VA. The farm is run by the Fairfax Park Authority so it's free and very accessible to kids. We enjoyed see all the "typical" farm animals and laughed as Ellen tried to imitate them. Ellen also enjoyed a tractor pull with her dad, as seen below. This is a great place to visit for anyone with kids in the DC area.

Enjoying the Flowers

Here are a couple of fun shots taken of Ellen in our driveway enjoying the new flowers that are blooming all around us. Spring is FINALLY here!

Spring in the City

Andy and I took Ellen down to the mall to enjoy the spring weather and check out the carousel. We met up with our good friends Frank and Ann Marie and their two boys. Although Ellen didn't particularly love the carousel, we had a good time just letting the kids run around and enjoying the familiar sites of this great city.

The crew hanging on the mall

Ellen enjoys the warm weather We catch a smile from Miss EllenGrant and Ellen contimplate their next move... "Hey Dad, are you still taking pictures?!" It looks so fun but it was a little scary for Ellen!

Grandma and Grandpa Come to Town

Andy and I recently had the chance to get away for a couple of days with my sister, her husband and some friends to Park City, Utah--our favorite winter destination. Although it was hard for me to leave Ellen for four days, it looks like she didn't miss a beat. Her schedule included a trip to the zoo--as seen below--several trips to the library, breakfast, the park and many walks. I know Ellen had fun, but will my parents want to come back!! Let's hope...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today Ellen celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wearing some green (see her hair bow and striped pants) and going to the library for a free sitting of an LA silhouette artist. Apparently he usually charges for these hand cut silhouettes but it was free if you made a reservation early (my mom was all over this!). Although these pictures were taken with an iPhone so they are a little hard to see, you can see the below for how it turned out. We plan to conclude the holiday with corned beef and cabbage at a neighborhood St. Patrick's Day party!

Sea Turtles, Exotic Fish and Polar Bears

We took Ellen to the DC aquarium this weekend. It's a small place located under the Department of Commerce. Even though it's nothing as extensive as the Baltimore aquarium, it's great for young kids, Ellen included. She had a ball and particularly liked the sea turtle, which you'll see her staring at below. The more interesting part of the trip was when we took her to the gift shop to get a toy and she just had to have the plastic polar bear despite being surrounded by fish all morning. Hmmm...

Studious Ellen

Here are some fun pictures of Ellen enjoying her time at the library. Like most toddlers, she loves technology! She knows how to work an iPhone better than me and Andy! I think we're in trouble...

Being Silly

Winter Adventures

Despite the frigid weather, Ellen has been keeping busy visiting museums and the zoo, and enjoying her new radio flyer wagon (thanks Gramps!). The great thing about DC is that there are so many fun activities for kids for free. The only challenge is figuring out which spots will be appealing for a toddler. The Air and Space Museum seems to be Ellen's favorite spot so far. She loves airplanes (waves frantically at them in the sky) and enjoys roaming all over the museum with her only boundaries being the rails that keep you away from the priceless aircraft. Not withstanding all of Ellen's excitement with these great museums and activities, we're getting a bit stir crazy at our house. Spring, please come soon...