Renaissance Age

Harper and Ida Jane loved visiting the Renaissance Festival. Ida Jane went last year and had a blast - this year they both got to experience the magic.

Harper got herself a lovely hat:



Ida Jane got a fairy wand, and made some "interesting" friends:



The watermelon was a big hit!



There was a kid's story hour, which featured some more characters. Harper, Mama and I watched as she helped Mother Goose and others make "Peas Porridge." (She's standing behind the pirate!)



The "King" and "Queen" of the Festival!



In other news, Harper is learning to eat solids. Here she is taking her first bite:



And the aftermath!

Sitting up!

The biggest news from Rockville is Harper's growing success in staying up in a seated position. She can usually last about a half minute before "bailing out." If her sister is sitting nearby, she'll stay up for longer.



The girls went up to Baltimore to visit Pop. Here's Harper in his lap.



Aunt Carol was also there from Hawaii, which was a treat!



This was mom's last week before going back to school (Tuesday). Fortunately, the weather was very nice all week so there was lots of fun things to do outside, including a trip to get ice cream with Sofia!



Thanks to Sofia's Mimi for the matching outfits!



We also took a very exciting trip to the park, where we went on a train ride.





What an amazing week!

OBX part II

We're back in Rockville after a great trip to the Outer Banks. While we encountered some unpleasantness upon our arrival (our house had been robbed, believe it or not), it won't diminish the great memories we had of our trip.

Here are the Zoll Girls, getting ready for a big day out:



Here's the clan at the beach on a nice morning - including Olivia, who always had her eyes on the girls, herding them away from the ocean when she could.



Harper loved hanging out with her Mama.



And Ida Jane had a great time flying her fish kite!



One of the coolest things Ida Jane experienced was putt putting (Harper is still a few months away from that). Here she is at a Dino course she went to with her mom.



Needless to say, more exploring than putting took place!

Outer Banks!

We arrived at our vacation cottage safe and sound on Saturday evening. It's been a very busy two full days here.

Here's Mom, Ida Jane, Harper, and Olivia, all taking a walk out on the beach:



Ida Jane loves playing in the sand.



We went to the aquarium, where it was the Year of the Frog, one of Ida Jane's favorite animals. They were giving away free frog masks, so Ida Jane (and Dada) got to hop around like frogs for a while:





Harper got herself a stuffed clownfish, which she really enjoys as well:



At the end of the day, it's nice to talk Olivia for a walk.



More later!