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...