Cherry Blossom Time!

Enjoy! It was overcast today so the colors aren't as crisp as I would have liked. But since I've missed getting downtown for the blossoms the past several years, I was willing to get whatever I could today.

Day in DC

One of the best things about living where we do is that we can enjoy the nation's capital any time. We want the girls to know that they are really lucky to be able to enjoy this!

(click the green caption logo on the bottom left to see the captions. Double click the picture to make the whole slideshow bigger)

Five Springtime Friday Favorites

Dress up time - 2005

Popsicles on the front step - 2004 (I love their expressions sizing each other up!)

Brenna after her preschool Olympics (or Olypstics as she called it!) age 4 1/2

Molly with that megawatt smile (and a whole lot of teeth! She had her 8 front teeth and all 4 first molars long before she was a year old)

Sisterly love before church one morning - 2003

Church or Camping?

How funny is this? I guess it's a tradition that after the Easter Vigil Mass at our church, Fr. Stuart invites all of the altar servers to roast marshmallows over the Easter fire in front of the church! If you knew this priest it would be even funnier - he's a very serious canon lawyer who served on a submarine in the Navy in his "past life." (Now imagine him living with our other priest who was a stand-up comedian in his "past life"!!!) I guess that's a good way to ensure he has enough kids willing to serve a 2.5-3 hour Mass!

EASTER SUNDAY

HAPPY EASTER!!
We had a nice day here starting with a great egg hunt this morning. That silly Easter Bunny must have been up all night hiding 80+ eggs for 2 little girls! I think they found most of them but wouldn't be shocked if a few turn up as the week goes on!

Luckily the dye from yesterday's egg painting venture has mostly worn off, but let me tell you they looked stunning last night in church - Molly in a blue dress with purple hands and Brenna in pink with green hands!!

Before heading to Dean's parents' for dinner we took the girls to Arlington National Cemetery. Dean's grandparents and uncle are buried there so we visited their graves before noticing we had just enough time to also see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Dean's dad served with the 3rd Infantry "Old Guard" and himself was a Tomb guard. I was trying to impress on the girls that they will probably never meet another person who knows a Tomb guard much less have it be their own Grandpa! I took a video clip for those of you who may never have a chance to see a guard change live. (It's grainy but I was using the compressed function so the file size isn't too big. Trust me that these guys are very impressive - grainy film or not!) After this there was a wreath laying and a bugler played Taps. It was actually a wonderful way to celebrate Easter Sunday for us.

Friday Favorites - Easter Edition

Let's revisit some Easter photos of the past . . .

Brenna in 2001 - must have been warm because we had azaleas blooming!
Brenna in 2002 - this would have been just weeks before Molly was born
Molly in 2003

(Easter 2004 -there are no photos! That was the year we drove home from Florida on Easter Sunday so it really was the Easter that wasn't!)

Goofing around on Easter 2005

Easter 2006 - the gals with their cousin Nora

Easter 2007 - Molly making a bunnymobile at Uncle George's. They are so sad to be missing those festivites this year! I'll have to get Peeps and Twinkies tonight so we can do them here!

Veggie Girl - sort of . . .

Molly was looking for a snack the other day. I was busy with something so I told her to go find something healthy since dinner was closing in. I had just been grocery shopping and said there was lots of fruit as well as baby carrots, celery, etc. She was bumbling around for a bit and then announced she was going to get some milk to have with her snack. I agreed and asked what she had decided on. "The green beans" she said.

I had bought some fresh green beans (I actually do like them raw but had planned to cook these) but was surprised she chose them over some of the other things in the fridge. I told her to hold on a minute and I'd come help because the beans hadn't been washed and I figured she'd need me to trim the stem ends or something.

So imagine my surprise when I rounded the corner to the kitchen and saw her sitting at the table with a huge bowl of - - jellybeans!

She must have seen my just-about-to-howl-laughing expression and blankly asked "What?" When I said that I thought she was talking about different green beans she shrugged, "Oh. Well these are the beans I meant but I only like the green ones so I'm just eating the green beans." I didn't know whether to laugh or just shake my head (I think I did both!) Mind you she's completely oblivious to the humor in this. She in no way was trying to deceive me into thinking she had a healthy snack, she was just being completely truthful that she was eating green beans. If I inferred something different than what she meant, well that was my problem.

She is really going to be trouble as she grows up. Miss Molly just really has her own way about her - and I guess what that makes us love her all the more!

Biker Chick

Well, a biker and a chick at least!

Can you tell she loves her grandpa? And that Grandpa loves her? These are two peas in a pod! I think she'll be the one to inherit his bike someday.

Another Day - Another Parade!

This is a busy weekend for Irish dancers! After a good night's sleep after yesterday's parade, we headed out today for the big one in downtown DC. The weather cleared up so it was cool but not wet at least. Brenna again had a great time. Her school is the only one that doesn't make their kids wear full costumes for parades. At first I was disappointed but I'm sure they were much more comfortable in their sweats today!

We parked a fair distance away and walked past all the setup to drop Brenna at her spot. We backtracked along the route a bit to find a good place to watch and rest a bit. Molly had just settled on the curb when we saw a friend who is also an Asst. Police Chief in DC. He snagged her and settled her into one of the motorcycle sidecars in the police group leading off the parade. She was estatic!!

So with both girls in the parade, Dean and I spent the day running up and down the route keeping tabs on them and making sure everyone was where they needed to be. It was exhausting!

We went straight from there to the girls' skating lesson so now everyone has legs like jelly! It was a great day though!!

Today's Parade

Brenna was very excited to be in the Gaithersburg parade this year! Look for that blonde head in the middle front!

Five Friday Favorites - Irish Edition

"When Irish eyes are smiling . . . Sure they'll steal your heart away!" Brenna at the DC St. Pat's parade 2001

My little leprechaun - 2002 (she made this hat in a kid's art class we went to) This is one of my all-time favorite pictures!

Two lassies at the DC parade - 2004

Brenna at the Alexandria VA parade in 2005

(we got good use out of that sweater as you can see!)

Molly at the parade 2006 - another favorite because I love that grin!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!

Dancers

Today was one of my favorite activities - Visitor Day at the girl's dance classes. They are working hard on their recital dances (although thank goodness there are still several weeks to go because they still need lots of work!) and they should be great. Brenna's tap number is really fast and complex but she's happy with it. Molly's tap number ends with a Rockettes-type line (not high kicks though) that is adorable. A bonus was Brenna's costume came in so they were able to model them for us and try out their routines wearing them. It really looks cute and she loves the color. It has some short shorts under the baby doll top - stylish and age appropriate I think. I'll post a photo of Molly's when hers comes in.

Five More Friday Favorites

This was a surprise for Grandpa - our very own Harley dude. We snuck this custom rocker out of his house (in the middle of a snowstorm) and had this made for him. Brenna was about 18 mos. old.

I love this one. Those pudgy fingers and wispy hair . . . Molly in Sept. 2003 - 17 mos.

Brenna at the zoo - April 2002, just a few days before Molly was born. Age 2 1/2
Molly age 15 mos. I saved this romper becasue it makes me think of this photo and that sweet little smirk!

The girls during our 1 day visit to Disney in April 2004. Molly was just 2 and Brenna was 4 1/2.

Poets Among Us

Brenna's class held a Poetry Recital last week. Each child memorized a poem and presented it to their parents and the students in Gr. 1, 2 and 4. They were awesome! I give them all so much credit for preparing so well. Not one of them even seemed nervous and there were about 150 people there. They all knew their parts perfectly and performed with emotion and humor. Brenna's poem was "If I Were in Charge of the World" by Judith Viorst.

If I were in charge of the world

I'd cancel oatmeal,

Monday mornings,

Allergy shots,

and also Sara Steinberg.

If I were in charge of the world

There'd be brighter nights lights,

Healthier hamsters, and

Basketball baskets forty eight inches lower.

If I were in charge of the world

You wouldn't have lonely.

You wouldn't have clean.

You wouldn't have bedtimes.

Or "Don't punch your sister."

(You wouldn't even have sisters!)

If I were in charge of the world

A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts

would be a vegetable

All 007 movies would be G,

And a person who sometimes forgot to brush,

And sometimes forgot to flush,

Would still be allowed to be

In charge of the world.

Five Favorites!

It's that time again (if anyone is not bored to tears yet!) It's been a long and crazy week but all is well!

Molly at the Glen Echo carousel. I loved these shorts she's wearing - a nice soft microfiber in the same blue as her eyes. July 2004
I love this smile! Nov. 2004 so she had just turned 5. Why does that seem like so long ago?
Molly at Ocean City in August 2006.

Brenna's nursery school "graduation" - she's four and Molly had just turned 2.

Brenna's first snow day