John Paul has a new backpack that we bought for our trip to the Midwest (which started today - lucky you, I've pre-published a bunch of posts so you won't miss us too much!) and a new hat from Aunt Sister.  So I just couldn't resist taking this adorable picture after he accessorized himself!

Our busy Saturday

We had quite a busy day this past Saturday!  After Mass and the farmer's market in the morning, we had a very exciting outing...  A visit to the Playseum in DC, a kind of hybrid children's museum/used bookstore.

The kids LOVED the grocery area, even though the materials were scattered all over the floor and checkout area...  Andrew and I did more cleaning up than playing because it was such a mess :(

And John Paul was SO excited to play cashier and press the buttons!

Cecilia served us some tea.

And, of course, played with dolls.

While John Paul stayed occupied for quite a while with an old typewriter.

And then an old rotary phone.

Hello?

We made pizza and John Paul "took my order" while another older girl immediately made my "pizza" (out of felt).

Then we headed to dinner (after a stop at The Container Store, which is apparently HEAVEN for a toddler because every trash can in there is clean and you can touch the lids!!!).

And Cecilia posed for Dad while John Paul and I were in the bathroom.

Here's her "smile" face again...

And what better way to cap off a VERY busy Saturday than a trip to the fountain?

It took a while for the kids to warm up to the idea, but they were SO excited!

Cecilia particularly liked pointing out all the other babies.

And the kids chased each other around a fair amount.  

Mostly, Cecilia spun around in circles while John Paul ran around the whole fountain.

I think she got more daring than he did!  

But they tended to stick to the edges.

And come back to Mom and Dad for frequent check-ins!

All in all, two wet and tired kids!   A successful summer day :)

4 years!

10 years together, 4 years of marriage, 2.5 children, and going strong!

This is the man I married with his groomsmen, hours before our wedding.  Good thing I didn't see this picture until afterwards!

Happy anniversary, Andrew :)

A visit to Great Grandmother's house

We headed to Maryland to visit my grandmother last week.  John Paul encountered his first iPad and was OBSESSED!

Cecilia was perfectly happy with a game of peekaboo :)

Picnic time!

It was perfect weather for a picnic, so we headed to a park within walking distance of our house for a dinner of farmer's market tomatoes, peaches, salad (Costco mozzarella), and homemade focaccia.  Yum!

Cecilia ate a few bites and then had to go exploring...  But, impressively enough, she kept her hat on!

Then John Paul requested a picture with Dad.  

Also a picture of Cecilia.  And a picture of Mom's sunglasses.  And a picture of John Paul eating bread.  Etc.

And he actually finished most of his food before he went running off.  But hey, what's the point of a picnic if the kids have to sit the whole time?  So he carried his bread with him and eventually finished it, even though he collected a stick and a rock in the process.

Then they found a gravel-covered bench to play on!

Super fun!

And we finished it off with a little bit of time on the playground.  Such a tasty, fresh meal with wonderful weather and the perfect company :)