Lunch Date

We apologize, once again, for some technical difficulties in keeping the blog adequately updated. Just a couple nights ago, our computer got hit by a nasty trojan virus. We think we have it cleared out, but we have some lingering issues. One of which is the fact that we can't figure out how to download pictures from our camera to the computer. We'll keep faithfully taking pictures, and we'll try to get them up as soon as we can.

In the meantime, here is a little video from our morning at a concert of one of Katie's favorite bands, Rocknoceros. We met our buddies Kim, Patrick (5-years-old) and Colleen (2-years) for some boogie-woogie dance fun. The kids started out a little shy, but halfway through the set, they were dancing all over the place. (Little Michael never left Traci's lap, but he was the exception.) By the end, Katie was professing her love for each of the three band members and went up to talk to each of them. I guess if Mommy has her Bono, then Katie can have her Coach Cotton...

Cookin' on the Deck

Anyone else noticed that it's been...so...damn...hot...lately? The temps finally dipped below 100 degrees this afternoon, so it allowed me to get the kids out of their A/C quarantines while Mom was at the store. Pretty white-trash, eh?

More 90 degree temps this week!

Step Right Up!

In order to beat the heat that we are currently experiencing, we have had to get a little creative in our play. Katie came up with a great idea today: "Let's build a carnival for our Little People!" We had fun coming up with the different rides: a salad spinner for the carousel, a doll stroller for the roller coaster, a model train and its tracks, a pillow for the bounce house, a can lid for a dance stage, etc. We also created a game area, where the Little People could win cool prizes. (The game we used? A flip of a penny from Mommy's purse.) We, of course, set out some of her fake food at a food stand. Finally, Katie even wanted to include a potty area for her Little People, so we designated the old train depot as the restrooms. It took such a chunk of time to design the carnival that we hardly had time to play with it, but it was worth it!

Double Up!

With all of our recent travels, we hadn't seen many of our good buddies in a long time. So, we doubled it up today! At lunch, our pals Maureen, Connor (4-years-old), and Madeline (17 months) came over with a pizza to share. We gobbled that right up and set out for some serious toy play. Later in the afternoon, we ventured over to the home of Kim, Patrick (5-years-old) and Colleen (2 years) for some fun in the sun. The kids went crazy playing in a small pool and sprinklers and chasing after bubbles. This picture makes us chuckle because it illustrates how tentative Michael was around the sprinklers and bubbles. Can you find him hiding behind the chair? Thanks to all of our buddies for a grand day!

Joe Fashionista

Yeah, we can't get him to wear his own sunglasses outside in order to tolerate direct sunlight. But, give him a chance to wear his mom's shades during some inside playtime....

City of Sisterly Love

This week, Traci had quite the adventure...over a year in the making! She and three girlfriends ventured to Philadelphia to attend a U2 concert. (Special thanks to all the husbands for making this happen!) Everybody was supposed to attend last summer, but the concert was postponed due to Bono's back injury. Anyway, this was a long time coming.

After a relaxing trip up the East Coast via Amtrak, the NoVa gals (Traci, Maureen, and Julie) walked around the city a bit before meeting with hometown gal, Megan. The usual tourist spots (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc.) were too busy to see, so they just took in the sights and sounds of the beautiful downtown neighborhoods. Traci was incredibly impressed by the city, which has worked hard to revitalize itself from its rough past. The restaurants were scrumptious, the murals and architecture were beautiful, and ALL of the people she encountered were incredibly nice.

The concert was, as always, a well-done spectacle. Traci has seen better innovation and better performances in past shows, but this "greatest hits" tour was certainly a crowd-pleaser. Bono repeatedly thanked all of the fans for waiting out his injury and sticking with them through it all. The ladies had floor "seats" in the massive Lincoln Financial Center (home of the Eagles), so the view was massive and outstanding. Post-concert, the ladies did something they hadn't done since their college days....dived into some fattening foods at IHOP at 1AM!!

The following day was just a relaxing one, filled with more good eats and fun shopping. Luckily for Traci and Maureen, they asked a local where to eat lunch, and he directed them to the restaurant of a recent Iron Chef winner (Jose Garces), the Garces Trading Company. Needless to say, it was out-of-this-world! After a quick train ride home, we all reunited with our families. Can't wait 'til the next outing!

Bippidi-Boppidi-Boo.....WAHHHH!!!

A video, that in about one and a half minutes, demonstrates Katie's joy with sparklers and horror with normal fireworks. In case you can't hear her, she is casting a spell everywhere around the yard, using the Cinderella-inspired "Bippidi-boppidi-boo!" The whimpers at the end? Those were of her own creation!

S'Mores, Sparklers, and Fireflies!

You might as well call our holiday trip to Michigan and Pennsylvania the "Trip of Firsts" for our little ones. No, we didn't do anything over-the-top or touristy, save for a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo/Aquarium. But, we did come away with some very awesome first-time activities that the kids may remember for some time. First, Katie and Michael got to enjoy their first-ever s'mores, cooked over the bbq pit in Michigan. (Yeah, we know....how could they not have eaten them by now?? But, remember we live in a small condo with no yard!) The American delicacy got mixed reviews from the kids...BIG thumbs-up from Katie, and equally BIG (sticky) thumbs-down from Michael.

Second, Katie got to experience her first-ever fireworks. Granted, our very sound-sensitive child didn't attend a large, city-wide fireworks show. Rather, we tried a more subtle approach....sparklers, poppers, and snakes in the quiet of our Michigan backyard. Although Katie was apprehensive about even these beginner fireworks, she eventually fell in love with the magic-wand-like sparklers. By the end of the evening of the Fourth, she was dancing around the backyard, enchanting everything with a loud "Bippidi-Boppidi-Boo!"

Finally, we usually do not let our kids stay up past their normal 8PM-ish bedtime, so Katie had never actually seen real, live fireflies. She had a BLAST in Pennsylvania catching them with her cousins, Julian and Nico. She was giggling up a storm, bringing each and every bug over for her parents to inspect. It was so much fun seeing the amazement of nature through her very wide-open eyes.

Anyway, the trip was sure a lot of fun...and now we're tuckered out. Please feel free to look through some of our photos to the right!

S'More Tomorrow

We don't have time to write much tonight, but we wanted to let you all know that we are back from our whirlwind Michigan-Pennsylvania vacation! We couldn't have asked for more from the trip...fantastic family times, many firsts for the kids, yummy eats along the way. We'll try to get our photos and anecdotes together for a better post tomorrow.