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...

Christmas in DC

Given the move and renovation this year, we decided to stay in town for Christmas. We were fortunate to have my mom and step-dad visit us for three great days, which included time at museums, wonderful meals and lots of laughs. Ellen also enjoyed getting many new toys. Daddy/Andy did too. Here are some great pictures he captured with his new SLR. Today we're expecting snow so we'll be sure to capture many more!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

Gordy waiting for Ellen to drop some Cheerios

Visiting the White House during the holidays is quite special.

Candid shot with Andy's new camera

Ellen is getting ready for our annual Christmas Day walk that ended in Gordy rolling in deer poo. Thanks, Gordy.

Santa and Ellen are not friends. Maybe next year...

Ellen with Grandma Bessy and Grandpa Rick at the DC Botanical Gardens