Something smells...fishy

After a beach day to recover from our full day at the Zoo, we tackled yet another day packed with activity at Sea World. Once again Paige seemed to like Shamu the best and could not get over how big he jumped and splashed. It was fun to see her get more excited about the animals this year, especially the ones she could touch and feel.

Collin's still too young to have a clue about what's going on, but he seemed to enjoy his day out in the beautiful weather.


Hanging with Nana waiting for Shamu.



Touching the starfish in the tide pools.


Feeding the bat rays. These were my favorite, they are SO soft! Paige had a hard time getting them to actually take the fish out of her hand, but playing in the water was just as fun, especially when the rays would come by and splash water with their "wings". By the time we were finished she was drenched - salty fishy water...yummm!

Tuckered out!

We have one more day left here in sunny San Diego and then head back to Dallas for a few days before heading all the way East, where the daunting task of packing our house and moving awaits us... I think tomorrow will be a beach day for sure!

San Diego Zoo

After the 4th of July, Matt headed back to work and to take care of a few things with the new house and the kids and I traveled west to visit my Nana. The first full day we were in town, we went to the San Diego Zoo. Collin had a great day riding and snoozing in the stroller.


Last year, Paige wouldn't go anywhere near the animals in the children's zoo, but this year she had no fear.



Here she is being silly with Noni.


From the moment we arrived at the Zoo, Paige was intent on seeing the giraffes.

My own little giraffe.

Beyond just getting to see the giraffes, she also got to feed them. Once again, she had no fear even though their heads were as big as she was. She got to feed them three "biscuits" and after each one, she would jump up and down yelling, "he ate it, he ate it!" This was definitely the highlight of the day!

Other favorites included the Giant Panda's...

...and the polar bear exhibit. Here we are outside of the enclosure where they have several bears that you can climb and play on.

And here's the same picture from last year. What a difference a year makes. Paige has grown and changed so much and I was just a few months pregnant with Collin.

More fun with the Polar Bears.

The day was packed with lots of excitement and no naps, I'm not sure we made it out of the parking lot before both kids were sound asleep in the back.

Lake, Fun, & 4th of July

At the end of June, I packed up the kids and headed to Texas to visit friends and family. It's the first time we had been back since we moved at the end of last summer and Paige and Collin had a great time playing outside, swimming, and soaking up all the Texas heat.

Paige still has a hard time understanding that she cannot take things away from Collin when he is playing with them, but here is a rare moment when they are actually "playing" together. Hopefully this will continue as they get older!



We borrowed a jumperoo from some family friends of ours which Collin absolutely loved! He jumped so hard and so long one day that he rubbed a little blister on his toe. It didn't seem to bother him though, he was only upset when we made him get out!


Playing out on the deck.

Yes, that is another bucket on her head.

When we were still living in Temple, Paige had a very good friend Lauren that she still talks about. We were so lucky that Lauren and her mom were able to come up to the lake one afternoon. The girls had a great time playing once they warmed up to each other and the moms loved catching up.

Some of Paige's favorite things to do at the lake included going out on the boat...

and swimming in the water. She has definitely become a little fish!

Let's not forget the jet skis too. "Popi, go faster!"

Getting a croquet lesson from Noni.

Matt joined us for the long 4th of July weekend. He gave Paige a lesson on how to treat the flag. Here she is holding it high!

Happy 4th of July.

The fireworks were also a big hit. For the next several days every time we went outside Paige was insistent that we do more "sparkles".

Paige-isms

Before you ask...yes, that is a bucket on her head.

Kids say the darnedest things, especially two (almost three) year olds. I decided that I should start writing down some of the strange and silly things that Paige says so that I won't forget to remind her of them when she's a teenager. here are a few of my favorites...

My good friend Ginny: Paige, do we live on Earth?
Paige: No, we live in TX?
(by the way, we do not live in TX anymore, we live in VA)

Paige: Mommy did you get a sticker at the Dr?
Mommy: No
Paige: Was it because you weren't very good?

PAIGE SPEAK:
Hang-a-burgers (Hamburgers)
Lellow (Yellow)
Cuz-ba (Because)

I hope that this becomes a regular thread, so check back often for more silly things out of the mouth of Paige :)

Weekend Project

Well, we are getting closer and closer to our trip to TX, which means we have less and less time before our big move. I should be using this last week and a half before heading south to pack boxes and get organized, but where would the fun be in that? Instead I have been thinking about decorating and doing a little shopping. Last week I found this great unfinished crate that I thought would be perfect for collecting all those odds and ends on Collin's dresser. A couple of coats of paint and stain later, this is what I came up with. I love the aged look and it looks great on his dresser. I can't wait to see it in his new room.

5 MONTHS!

I can't believe it! My how time flies...

Movin' On Up

We've found a house! As many of you know, over the past few months, Matt and I have been on the hunt for a new house. It took a lot of looking and researching to find the perfect one, but we finally did and couldn't be more excited about it. We decided to settle in Stafford, VA, which is south of the DC metroplex near Quantico. The house sits on 3.5 acres on the edge of town and has lots of room for the kids to run and play. Here are a few pictures: BACK

VIEW FROM BACK DOOR

FAMILY ROOM

BREAKFAST NOOK

KITCHEN

FRONT FOYER FROM UPSTAIRS

COLLIN'S ROOM

MASTER BATH

We are currently scheduled to close on July 1 and hope to move towards the end of the month after returning from TX. We would love for you to come and visit after we get settled.