Happy Mothers Day...almost

Happy almost Mothers Day! Joe has to work tomorrow, so today was my Mothers Day. We had a busy day that started off with taking Emma to a bowling birthday party for her friend Shawn. This was Emma's first time bowling and she did great! She loved rolling the ball.

After the party, we came home and played outside in our yard for a bit then got ready to go to dinner. Joe took us to a new restaurant here in Annapolis called Gordon Biersh. After dinner, we walked around the Annapolis Towne Center and Emma had a blast running all around. We had a wonderful evening!

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, Joe and I had a chance to get away, sans Emma. We wanted to go somewhere close, yet just far enough, so we decided to go to DC to see the Cherry Blossoms and Monuments. We chose to stay at a lovely new hotel in Old Town Alexandria called The Lorien. The rooms were posh and chic and nestled on the popular King Street in Town. We were lucky enough to spend 2 wonderful days together taking in fantastic food and beautiful sights and all within 45 minutes of our own home. We took a Monuments by Water cruise where we were able to see the sights from the Potomac river. It's nice to be able to get away and reconnect. Here are some pictures of our weekend.

Our room at the Lorien:

The Lincoln Memorial as seen from the Potomac:
The dome of the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument as we approached DC from Alexandria:
The Kennedy Center:
The view of the Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial:
Joe and I on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial:

The Jefferson Memorial, some Cherry Blossoms, and TONS of people on the steps of the memorial:

More Cherry Blossoms and the sea of people that came to see them:The Capital as seen from the foot of the Washington Monument:

My Mischevious Monkey

Emma is now 15 months old going on 5 years old. She is a firecracker and quite the independant. Just recently she has taken to climbing into and onto anything she can. I caught her this morning climbing into her toy box despite my telling her no and that she shouldn't be doing it. While I was trying to be serious about telling her not to climb into her toys, I had to chuckle to myself...I hope you enjoy the video. What a wonder she is!

Snow Day

Well March roared in like a lion with a Noreaster dropping about 7 inches of snow on us. Thankfully, Joe is off work on Mondays so we didn't have to worry about him having to fight the roads. This was Emma's first REAL snow, so we decided to bundle up and head out for a bit. The pictures say it all:

We're going to do what Mom?

I don't think I like this:

No way! Get me out of here!Even Daddy couldn't make it better:

A view of our backyard:Snow is fine to look at from the nice warm house, but as you can see, Emma was less than thrilled with the idea of being out in it. Maybe next year she will enjoy it more. Hopefully you had a fun snow day as well.

Wii got a Wii!

While we may be the last family around to get one, we finally took the plunge and bought a Wii complete with the Wii Fit. Most times, Joe and I will play while Emma naps or is in bed for the evening, however Joe was playing one day while Emma was awake. She was at first very observant as to what her daddy was doing, but she soon became interested and wanted to try too. So with a little help from her Daddy, here is Emma doing the Wii Fit Hula Hoop. So cute!

Obamicon

In honor of our new president, I decided to have some fun with obamicon.me.
In all seriousness, this truly is a historic day, and I for one, am so excited! For the first time in awhile, I feel hopeful. Hopeful that change truly will come. I am proud to be an American and I welcome this new administration. Congratulations President Obama!

Merry Christmas

It's hard to believe this was technically Emma's second Christmas. Everything about it mirrored a first...her wonder at seeing a Christmas tree in with all its lights and shiny ornaments and her curosity peaked at the beautifully wrapped packages beneath the tree. But it was indeed her second Christmas. Unfortunately, Joe had to work Christmas day, so Emma and I headed over to my parents house to hang out until Joe got off work and would meet us there for Christmas dinner and presents. Emma made out like a bandit with great toys and pretty clothes and while Joe and I really didn't exchange gifts this year, the best gift we could give to each other was being together and watching our daughter enjoy all the wonder that is this season. Feeling a little nostalgic, here is a picture of us last year... a family of 3 for a mere 12 days:and a picture of our best present last year:

Now for this year. Here is Emma all dressed up for Christmas Eve services at church:

Emma enjoying some of her new presents:

Hello? Santa? The Christmas Ham:Me and my baby girl:Emma checking out the Christmas tree:
And here we are, a family of 3 for 1 year and 12 days. What a difference a year makes.

I hope your Christmas was filled with wonder and we send you best wishes for 2009.