OK, so, a last-minute trip to Singapore+allergy attacks from the kids and Mom+dad laid up by a sinus infection=a pretty decent excuse for not putting pictures up for a while.
That said, I know I have been derelict in my duties as a father in the internet age, so I'm going to revert to the classic "here's a 1,000 pictures of my cute kids" technique.
The following shots were all taken by my good friend Janna, who is also a professional photographer in the DC area. We spent a very fun hour and a half at Brookside Garden park in Silver Spring, which Ida Jane and Harper both loved. Any DC-area peeps, if you're looking for a good (and reasonably-priced!) alternative to sitting in an over-heated JC Penny photography studio and getting pressed into making split-second decisions about which pictures to keep, the Zoll family endorses Janna's work, as evidenced below. If you're interested in contacting Janna to schedule a session, drop me an email and I'll send her contact info along.
Anyway, without further ado, and with no narration necessary, here are the pictures!
It was only a matter of time before Harper got her wheels.
At long last, Ida Jane's reign of bipedal dominance is at an end. Now the fun really begins!
It's been a very busy couple of weeks here, as usual. In a move inspired by a since-passed spate of warm weather, (and Harper's birthday take, thank you everyone!) Dad went off to Toys 'R Us and got a new play house. It's a hit.
This thing even has a phone!
Some of our other fun activities have included gardening. In news that will surprise no one, Ida Jane loved getting her hands dirty.
We also visited a great kid's museum in Baltimore. This is one of the few times someone was able to take a picture - Ida Jane up on a "horse" learning to be a cowgirl.
Even though the weather has been pretty lousy, Ida Jane still enjoys her rain coat.
But you can only play in the rain so much, so we also got a crazy play tunnel. As an introduction to this video, I'll warn you that Ida calls Harper "little whale." We're not sure where these nicknames come from, but one of the cutest things lately is Ida Jane's million different pet names for Harper. Little Whale is, admittedly, probably the least flattering, but still cute.
Today, although it was on the cold side, we did have the opportunity to take a few quick Easter shots.
And we went next door to Fia's house for a great egg hunt.
Fun!
After all that, the best thing to do is to have a good bath.
Put on matching pajamas, and then it's off to bed.
Sorry for the long delay in posting. As you may know, I was in China for a few weeks. I'll load this entry up with lots of pictures and movies. Because lots has been happening around here.
While I was gone, Ida Jane and Harper welcomed their good friend Alexandra to visit with them, along with Auntie Lora and Auntie Christene. It was a screaming good time.
Here they are, in a quieter moment, with Auntie Christene, getting a morning story:
Here they are catching a breather at the park - one of the few times a camera can be safely deployed.
While I was gone the girls also visited a neat indoor playground that had a big sandbox.
And a big gym to crawl around in. Fun!
When Dad returned, he was greeted by a big snowstorm. Ida Jane was thrilled to get one more good play in the snow.
Harper has learned a lot of new skills. She's taking some baby steps, but we haven't managed to get that on film yet - mostly because whenever she sees the camera she immediately wants to look at pictures of her sister on it. But we did get this nice video of a peekaboo game.
And while she's not reading per se, she is definitely interested in her big sister's favorite pastime.
This next video is one taken by our daycare provider, Ms. Addison. Ida Jane is showing off her color and drawing abilities.
Ida Jane is also developing some new skills - soccer! She went to her first soccer practice on Saturday, and had a blast. Here she is, warming up.
A week ago today we had great weather and took a family trip to the zoo. The girls loved it.
The National Zoo has an "O Line" - where you can watch the Orangs travel from enclosure to enclosure via a cable bridge.
Here's a zoom in!
Here we are, rolling into the picnic area.
It was tough being in China and away from the girls for so long. But I knew they'd be fine - they have a great mama!
