Beach Bound!

Today marks day one of our summer vacation. I was so excited last night that I could barely fall asleep. But mom and dad told me I had to if we were going to go to the beach. A big Thank You to Grandma and Grandpa for watching kitty for us! I know she's being well cared for and I'm so thankful she can spend some time there instead of in a kennel!

We packed everything yesterday, but waited till this morning to load the car. I was excited and woke up early and we got things packed earlier than we thought, so we headed out almost an hour early. The car was jam packed, even though mom's car is pretty big. Who knows what we're going to do next year when we'll have two carseats!!! Guess we'll either have to get a roof rack or pack lighter. Three guesses which of those it will be...

I was all comfy in my carseat and ready to go!



We got to the beach early and our condo wasn't ready yet, so we stopped for some lunch on the water. It was really pleasant outside and I loved watching the boats drive by. Too bad I didn't eat a very good lunch and didn't get to have any dessert :( I think I learned my lesson!



The realty company called while we were at the restaurant to say our condo was ready, so we went and picked up the keys and checked it out. The dining room is AWESOME and has a ton of windows overlooking the ocean and even some skylights - it'll be really nice to eat breakfast in there tomorrow.



I had to try on my sunglasses and do a little dance...



Then we checked out the balcony. Plenty of room for us all to hang out there and enjoy the view of the sand and waves.







Mom even let me try to take a picture with her phone. I don't think I did a bad job - what do you think???



After we got everything loaded in, mom ran to the grocery store while dad and I went and played on the beach. I think mom drew the short straw on that deal, what do you think? My clothes got wet while we were dipping our feet in the ocean, so I was getting dry clothes on when mom got back. We put the groceries away and headed over to the dive shop so daddy could drop off his gear and get ready for his first day of diving tomorrow. I was excited to see the Neptune statue again.



I was a little "gun shy" of the gun that was recovered from the U-352, but mom thought this was cute anyway.



This is daddy's dive boat - you can see him on the right hand side getting all of his gear set up.



The woman who worked in the dive shop came out and asked me if I wanted a tour of the boat! I was a little shy, but said that as long as mom went with me, I'd love to take a tour. That was the first time I'd ever been on such a big boat! I got to see where the divers store all their gear, the "Salon" where they sit and store all of their stuff that they want to stay dry, and I even got to see where the Captain sits to drive the boat! She even let me sit in the Captain's chair!!!!! How amazing is that???



When I got down, she showed me the Captain's quarters where he sometimes goes to sleep if he needs a nap. There were two small bunk beds down there and it was pretty cool to see.

When daddy was done, we went to dinner at a place right next to the dive shop. We didn't sit outside because it was getting late (and therefore almost dark), but we saw a TON of seagulls swoop down after some people got up and left their table. I told dad it was a "Flock of Seagulls" and he asked if they had long hair...I didn't get it, but mom laughed...

I'm excited for our day on the beach and at the pool tomorrow!!!

Big Sister!

This post is LONG overdue. Most of you have probably heard my big news by now...that's right - I'm going to be a big sister! My little brother is due on November 29th, the day after Thanksgiving! I'm really excited to be a big sister and give my brother hugs and kisses every night at bedtime :) i even sing to him - You Are My Sunshine...the same song mom and I always sing! I keep telling mom and dad that I'll be a big helper, but I don't want to change diapers.



I've got lots more to fill you in on, but I'll have to write another post. I'm busy getting ready for my very first field trip tomorrow!!! Summer camp started at school on Monday and my days are already fun filled and exciting. The theme for this summer is "Leaping into Literature." No more nap time in my class, so I'm super tired by the time we get home (even though I haven't actually napped at school in 2 years, there's always at least been some quiet time). Not any more - it's pretty much go all day! I've moved into a new room for the summer with new friends and teachers and will move again to my Kindergarten class in the fall. I was shy my first day in this class, even though I know the teachers and at least some of the friends.

We had a visitor on Monday who played music for us and we got to dance all around. I had a lot of fun, but told mom that not all of my friends wanted to dance. Tomorrow is the first field trip and we get to go on a bus and see a puppet show! Mom is less than thrilled with me being on a bus, but it's the only way I'm allowed to go on the trip, so she kind of has to let me.

I'll let you know how it goes and will try to fill you in on what's happened since I last posted.

G'night!

South Virginia

On our way home from school last night, I found my binoculars and was searching for things and telling mommy what I saw. I told her that I really wished I could see the whole way to South Virginia through them! I really meant West Virginia, but we both got a good laugh.

This morning on the way to school, we got behind a Ben and Jerry's truck. I told mom "Look! Ice cream made from cows!" She told me I was partially right :)

I wonder what I'll come up with later today! Happy Thursday everyone!

Sweet Tooth!

Sunday was a really fun day! Mom and I got to see the Easter bunny, though the logistics were quite the nightmare and it took forever to actually get my picture. I was one of the few kids there who wasn't terrified of the bunny, though.

After the bunny, we met daddy (he was at a swim clinic) and drove to DC. We had lunch at Graffiato, a delicious restaurant that had wood fired pizzas. Mom and I split one that had ricotta, prosciutto, and honey! It was quite yummy :)

Then we got to walk across the street to the CIRCUS! I was pretty overwhelmed at first and started crying once they turned the lights off. I told mom I was tired, then I started crying because I missed kitty. Mom thinks I was just tired. Daddy took me out to the concourse and had a little talk with me. We took a walk, I calmed down, and we went back in. By that point, I was loving it and dancing in my seat to the music. The lions and tigers were out when we got back and we got to see them do all sorts of tricks. I told mom the guy who was in the cage was crazy to be in there with them!



We saw lots of other really cool things. Funny clowns, crazy people doing acrobatics really high up in the air, and even two crazy women who hung by their hair! There were also horses and elephants and dogs who all did pretty cool tricks. There were 5 or 6 big elephants and a baby elephant. When they came out the second time, the baby elephant wan't there. I told mommy I thought he had grown up and wasn't a baby anymore. There was a cage with a bunch of motorcycles in it too. They got up to 8 motorcycles - I didn't think they would all fit, but somehow they managed! That was pretty scary to watch, but very impressive!

Mom and dad bought me a heart wand that spins. I don't know how else to describe it. You push a button, it spins and lights up. I was totally enamored with it and mom finally broke down and got it for me. She figured it was better than loading me up with loads of sugary cotton candy or a snow cone. I had a lot of fun at the circus and would love to go back again some day!

When we got home, it was almost time for bed, so we had a quick dinner, then got ready for bed. As I was putting on my jammies, mom asked me to brush my teeth. I told her she was silly and that I couldn't do two things at the same time because I only have two hands and am not a robot! Smart girl, huh???

Can you believe that we had snow on Monday morning? We had a few inches by the time I went to school, but it was mostly melted by the afternoon. Pretty crazy for late March!



Daddy had to travel again the beginning of this week, so it's just mom and I for a few days. I had my first Monday swim class last night. My class this time was really small (3 kids instead of the 6 in my class last session). I did a great job and was able to float on my tummy (by myself) with my face underwater for over 10 seconds! My teacher said that if I did as well next week that they want to move me up to the next level!

Tonight, mom and I had a quick dinner at Whole Foods, then did our grocery shopping. We even ran into my friend, Sam, who we haven't seen in a few months! It was really great to see him! I picked out lots of fresh fruit - pineapple, berries, melon, and some oranges. Yum! Mom even let me get a chocolate covered pretzel since I ate a good dinner. Maybe it was just that she wanted one too, but whatever the reason, I'm not complaining!

On our way home, I sat in my carseat, grinned, and asked mom to look at me in the mirror. I oriented at my teeth and asked mom which one was my sweet tooth. Ha ha! Child logic is so literal sometimes!

Good night!

Long Week!

After daddy's marathon on Saturday, we took it easy on Sunday. Poor daddy had to hop on a plane early Sunday afternoon and head to California for work for the week. Needless to say, the marathon was scheduled before he knew when this trip would be, so there wasn't much he could do about it. He had to go for a tradeshow, no less, so he had to stand on hard, concrete floors all week, too. If that's not a true test, I don't know what is.

Mom and I had a pretty good week, though we ate out far more than we should have. Not that I'm complaining! With the marathon on Saturday and being tired on Sunday, we didn't really shop for food for the week and by the time we get home from work and school, it ended up being easier to just go out. So we had a nice week of Pho, Sushi, and Panera (mac and cheese is my favorite - are you surprised???).

Daddy got home really late Thursday night, so he came in and gave me a hug and kiss goodnight. I remembered the next morning and told mommy how happy I was that he was home. But we really didn't get to see him till we got home from swimming on Friday night. Definitely a long week!

I had fun picking out some funny jammies this week. What do you think?



I also had my last swimming class for this session on Friday. I passed every skill except for holding my breath under water for 10 seconds. I think I got to 7 or 8, just not *quite* the whole way. I'm starting the next session on Monday and then start soccer in a few weeks as well. Hopefully the weather warms up a bit between now and then!



Today, we're headed to the CIRCUS!!! I can't WAIT! I'm guessing I'll have an update with some cool pictures later...

Daddy's First Marathon!

Daddy ran his first marathon yesterday and totally rocked it! His goal was to beat 4 hours with a stretch goal of 3:56. He finished in 3:55:07. That's no joke! For 26.2 miles (plus a little since you usually end up running a little long due to the layout of the course). I'm so, so, so proud of him!

 http://running.competitor.com/cgiresults?eId=54

I went to bed pretty early on Friday night in preparation of having to get up early on Saturday to spectate. Much to mom's chagrin, I woke up at 3:20 really scared that there was a witch in my room. Darn Miss Viola Swamp book that we read in school - that's caused so many dreams about witches in the past few months :( Mom's alarm was set for 4:45 anyway, so needless to say, we didn't get much sleep on Friday night.

Daddy took Metro to DC and mommy and I drove down and parked near the restaurant where we were planning on having lunch. We had a great spectating plan that called for us seeing daddy at miles 5, 13, 20, and the finish. We had a lot of walking / Metro riding to do, so mom left the stroller at home. I'm kind of too big for the stroller anyway, but it also makes navigating the Metro system much more difficult. I decided I wanted to carry my backpack with me which had some paper, markers, and a few stuffed toys. Mom told me I could take it, but had to carry it all by myself, and I agreed. She carried a bigger backpack with some ponchos, an umbrella, a change of clothes for me, and a portable potty, just in case! The weather was supposed to be kind of cold and rainy, so we were hoping for the best and hoping to not get soaked!

We parked and set out to the first spot - mile 5. We parked in Adams Morgan and walked a little over a mile to Rock Creek Parkway. It was a long walk, but we stopped at Starbucks to go potty, get coffee for mom, and a snack for me (I picked out some cheese, fruit, almonds, and crackers!) I was a trooper and held mom's hand and walked the whole way there. There was a rock ledge there, so we were able to sit for a while and have a snack while we waited for daddy. I wore my Minnie ears and shook my cowbell. We saw daddy and he threw us his arm warmers - it had warmed up significantly between the start and mile 5!

 

 After we saw him at mile 5, we stopped at the "portabella" potties (but I let all the runners go first) and walked back to Dupont Circle Metro to head to Union Station to catch mile 13. We stopped at the bathroom at Union Station again since they were real potties and we had enough time to do that and still get to mile 13. My feet started to get tired walking up the hill, but we had a really pretty walk towards the Capitol.

 

 I got to sit down and eat some of my snack when we got there. I gave the Brie to mom, but I really liked the almonds! Turns out we were close to mile 14 and we saw daddy shortly after we got there. He said he was still feeling pretty good.

We headed back to Union Station to take Metro to Mile 20 in Anacostia. There were Metro delays and we had to wait 15-20 minutes before we could get going. When we got to Anacostia, the race was much farther away from the Metro station than we anticipated. It was pretty warm by that point and we had to pretty much run about a half mile to get to where we needed to be. Based on daddy's GPS, we thought he had already passed us by the time we got there. Turns out we had gotten there just a few minutes before he did, but by the time we saw him, we were already walking in the other direction. Mom tried to catch up to him to let him know we were there, but he didn't see us and I got upset because I thought mom was leaving without me (she was maybe 100 ft in front of me and of course never would have left without me!!!).

We ended up grumpily hiking back to the Metro. I was so tired by then and started crying because my muscles hurt. I powered through, though, and got to sit and rest my legs on the Metro back to the finish line. We made it there before daddy did and were able to find a spot along the fence by the finish chute and were able to yell really loudly for daddy as he came through. He didn't see us because he was so focused on the finish, but that's ok. He was working so hard and looked like he was struggling at that point. We saw Molly not far behind him - she had gone back after finishing the half to help him run in the finish.

We all met afterwards and congratulated daddy. Sof, Angela, Molly, and Wendy had all run the half, so they were all there too (along with Steve, Jay, and Paul who were also there spectating). Daddy knew he finished in 3:55 something, but wasn't sure what the official time was. After stretching and winding down a little, we all made our way back to the restaurant for some post race BBQ (and beer for the adults). Since this was the Rock and Roll National Marathon, there was lots of music at the finish. I really enjoyed dancing and being goofy :)

 

 

 Lunch was yummy, but I didn't eat too much. I had a few glasses of OJ, though, so that was good. Walking back to the car, we saw this goofy car. Weird, huh?

 

We were all pretty tired by the time we got home, so we all took a short nap, but not too long since it was late in the day. Mom figured out that she and I walked about 7.5 miles total during the day, and I was with her the entire time, so that's how far I walked too - that's A LOT for a little girl!!! I was SUCH a trooper and behaved so well the entire day. Mom let me  have mac and cheese for dinner since she and daddy weren't too hungry. Then I got to take a bath in mommy and daddy's tub (it's kind of like swimming - pretty fun!) while mom took a shower. When I had my jammies on, daddy made some jello with me. I picked out raspberry and lime and we made the raspberry last night and will layer the lime on top today. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

After training for the marathon, daddy's going to switch to triathlon training mode. He's got one in May and another in June, with a 10 mile running race in April as well. I'm so proud of daddy and can't wait for the next race to watch!

Taxi

I've learned about bus stops lately and like to point them out whenever we drive anywhere. On our way home from school last night, I also pointed out all of the taxis. I said to mom:

"Some people call a taxi a taxi, some people call it a car, and some people call it a cabbage. No wait, what do some people call it?"

Ha ha! Mom laughed immediately. I knew "cabbage" wasn't right, but couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong about it...

The letter of the week in my class is M. Mom and I were talking about things that I could take for show and share and I immediately piped in with Mars and Mercury! Too bad I don't think we have anything that has Mars and Mercury to take. Maybe I'll take my Minnie Mouse ears! Last time the letter M came up, I took my spinning Minnie Mouse that Grammy bought me at Disney last year.

Tonight I got to do yoga while mom "ran" on the treadmill. She's done a few miles so far and it hurts a lot, but doesn't make her foot any worse, so her doctor said to try it and they'll re-evaluate the first week of April. This has gone on long enough - she's really ready for it to be over!