Lots of Updates!?!?

So, I finally emptied my camera, created some collages, and updated the blog. There are quite a few new posts here (just a warning!) I'm going to try and update a little more often so there aren't so many things to write about next time. Enjoy ... and thanks for reading! : )

Sesame Place

For Mother's Day weekend we decided to head up to Sesame Place for our first visit of the season. We were even able to meet Grandad, Nana, and Aunt Laura there! Kylee was excited and kept telling everyone that Ryland was going to be able to ride on all the rides with her this year. She loved the rides again (that's my girl!). The jury is still out on Ryland though ... he didn't cry or try to get off but he didn't exactly smile either. He just kind of sat there and took it all in. Here are a few pictures from some of the rides. (Although it looks like Nana and Pete went on the balloon ride by themselves, both kids were with them -- it is just hard to see them.)

Then we took a walk down "Sesame Street" and were able to get some good pictures.

So, these are just pictures of Ryland finishing his watermelon for lunch but they were just too cute to not include. : )

One of the biggest accomplishments of the day -- getting close to Abby and Elmo! Last year Kylee enjoyed looking at the characters as long as they were far away. It was a big step when she gave Abby a high five but that was all she would do last year. This year she got close to Abby and Elmo AND even let Elmo give her a hug (with me there too but at least it was a step in the right direction.)

It was a great trip and I'm sure we will be going back again soon! : )

Reston Zoo

A few weeks ago we headed to the Reston Zoo to meet up with some friends. We were able to walk around and play with Brayden, Charlotte, Jack, and Gia. The kids liked seeing all the animals. (The picture below is of them all looking at the alligators). We were able to go on the wagon "safari" ride too which was great. The animals came right up to the wagon to get some food. Although Kylee wasn't up to feeding the big animals (camels, ostriches, etc.) she did like the ride and was not too shy with the animals coming very close to us. (Ryland ended up falling asleep on the ride!?)
Here are a few pictures of Kylee from the day. I don't have any of Ryland because I either had to carry him or chase him as he was trying to run after the geese. Ha!

Truck Day

The city of Herndon puts on a Truck Show for the kids where they can climb in and out of different construction vehicles. We headed over there to meet up with our friends Brayden, Jack, and Gia (and their moms of course.) It turned out to be a great little trip. Both kids loved the trucks and steering all the big wheels. Ryland still loves wearing his "hard" hat.

They also had a traffic light set up where you could control the lights with switch box. Kylee thought it was pretty neat to change the colors and Ryland thought it was worth dancing and jumping when the colors changed. Then of course it turned into a usual activity for the kids. Ryland running around and Kylee chasing him saying, "It otay Mommy, I got him." : )

Trip to DC

A few weeks ago we decided to head into DC. At first we weren't quite sure what our goal was going to be but it was just a nice day and we thought it would be nice to head into the city. We decided to try the National Aquarium. The kids had a good time looking at everything and seemed to like the alligators and snake the best. The picture of Ryland with the snake reminds me of Harry Potter because it looks like he is "talking" to the snake.

After the aquarium we decided to head over to the mall to ride the carousel. The kids enjoyed the walk over because they could use the "balance beam curbs" on the way. Let's be honest -- I think we all enjoyed that when we were little. : ) Kylee had her eye on riding the dragon instead of one of the horses. Of course there is only one dragon and we were second in line. I thought for sure the boy in front of us was going to for it so I quickly prepared Kylee to choose a horse. We got in and the kid went the other way so we beelined for the dragon and got it! Score!!! Then, the carousel operator told us that both kids could ride the dragon together ... double score! Although this picture shows more confusion than enjoyment, I can assure you that the kids had a good time. : )

Easter

A few weeks before Easter, we went to Frying Pan Farm Park for an Easter Egg Hunt. This was a first for Kylee and Ryland. Although Kylee had searched for eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny at home before this was the first "real" hunt she had been on. They both did a pretty good job. Ryland seemed to enjoy taking his eggs out of his basket as much as he liked putting them in. As soon as Kylee opened them up and saw Hershey Kisses she was hooked.

On Easter morning, we got dressed and started looking for the eggs the Easter Bunny hid. Kylee did a great job and helped Ryland find some too. : )

Finally, it was time for Easter baskets. Both kids seemed to enjoy their new treats. Seems like the Easter Bunny (well maybe his wife!) did a pretty good job picking things out this year. : )

Kylee's 3rd Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Kylee's 3rd birthday. Great family, great friends, great weather, and great food (if I do say so myself.) : ) Here are some of the pics from Kylee's day.

Thanks to Aunt Amy for the fabulous cake. The magnifying glass even had "bugs" in it. : )