Two much!

Hard to believe Ida Jane is now two years old. Well, sometimes, it's not hard to believe. Unfortunately, both girls got a sniffly cold late last week, but even that couldn't prevent them from enjoying Ida Jane's big birthday present - a fifties diner!



On the day of her birthday, Ida Jane enjoyed a delicious cupcake.



But the best was yet to come! For the big party, we got all dressed up.



Harper got in on the act as well.



Our friends Andrew and BFFia came over, and, of course, Ida Jane had to serve them at the diner:



Then it was time for some cake!



Ida Jane got a little concerned when, upon arrival, the cake appeared to be on fire.



But, crisis over, the kids dug in. Delicious!



Yum.



Fia got a special cupcake. Of course, she always prefers whatever is on Ida Jane's plate!



Harper wasn't able to eat any cake - this year. Of course, she doesn't really NEED any cake, per se.



And, finally, the presents!



What a great time! Thanks for coming over, friends!

Exciting weekend

As I begin sorting through pictures from this weekend, I realize that we managed to have a guest who didn't get in any of our shots. Ida Jane and Harper both loved having Auntie Amanda visit from Seattle - and we'll make sure to take another picture or two before she leaves so that there's visual evidence of her stay.

We had a great time visiting all the DC hot spots this weekend. Ida Jane was running everywhere - past Abraham Lincoln:



Through the WWII memorial:



Where she finally managed to pause and check her surroundings.



Harper, of course, was happy to be with her sister, as always, and enjoyed her ride in the stroller. Here she is, smiling it up in front of the reflecting pool.



Harper loves Ida Jane so much, it can get a little silly. Watch her in this movie, as she dances her way up to give IJ a "baby hug" - basically just a big lean. Ida Jane finally has to laugh at her sister.



Here's Dada getting in some quality Sunday reading time. Put down that newspaper and pick up that picture book, Dada!



Maybe it's paying off? Imagine our surprise when we saw this! Could it really be a coincidence? :-)



As she works at her blocks and train tracks, Ida Jane likes to sing:



Finally, today we went to a parade in Gaithersburg. The family geared up to support Barack Obama. Here's Mama and Harper sporting their latest.



We ended up joining in the fun, but here are a couple of shots as we wait for the bands to arrive:





Happy Labor Day everyone!

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!

Parties and piggies

Before we begin, Ida Jane has a few words to share, from her new big girl bed.



Now, the title of the post promises parties and piggies, so let's get to it. We had a great time at Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary this weekend. Poplar Springs takes in rescued farm and lab animals and provides them with happy, long lives. Ida Jane loves visiting her friends there. Here she is, making friends with a pig (whose name, we later discovered, is Suzie Q).



Other friends we met included goats, sheep, chickens, and a rooster who came up to Ida Jane to holler "cock-a-doodle-do" which was very impressive. She's been saying it ever since.

The other big event this weekend was our best friend Sofia's birthday party. Here's a "pre-game" picture, before we converted Ida Jane's crib into a big girl bed with rails.



Harper is quite the social butterfly, and got all dolled up for the big party:



She wasn't quite sure what to do with her party hat, though:



What a great weekend!