Fall fun

Harper and Ida Jane have really had a whiz-bang start to fall - and I'm afraid the blog has lagged a bit because of it!

First, we had a great trip to the zoo. Here's Mom and Ida Jane checking out the elephants, a favorite animal for both:



Harper loved the zoo as well, a long stroller ride with lots of exciting and fun things to see:



Ida Jane has been very excited about cooking and baking lately. Here she is making some pancakes with Mom.



We also had some guests visit us. It was great seeing Aunt Barbara, Uncle Jim, and cousins Michaela, Lexi and Jeff.

Here's Harper with Aunt Barbara:



She helped Aunt Barbara read a book to Ida Jane and Michaela.



And then Michaela and Harper helped Olivia be the center of attention.



Uncle Steve was in town, and we all went to the pumpkin patch.

He showed Ida Jane the turkeys:



Here's Dad with Harper on the hay ride.



Ida Jane enjoyed seeing the big tractor.



This pumpkin looks just right!



Load 'em up, Dad!



Climbing the hay mountain with Mom at the end of our trip.

Big girls and their visitors

Harper is almost six months, which is hard to believe. Here she is, sitting up on her own and reading a book.



Ever wonder what the world looks like to a six month old who has a big sister and a best friend living next door to entertain you all the time? Pretty sweet:



But things got even sweeter last weekend when Papa and Nana visited the girls! Harper was in heaven. She got to show Nana her book:



And she got to play with Papa.



Nana had a great time with her girls.



We went to Cabin John Park, which is always fun. Even better with grandparents!



They have these magical bells that Ida Jane enjoyed playing for her Nana.



And adventuring with Papa is always a favorite.



Then, we got to ride a train together!




Time to go home for now.



Thanks for visiting, Papa and Nana!

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!