Maryland

Part 2 of our trip took place at Phil's parents' house in Laurel, Maryland. Phil's sister Leslie and her son Ryan came up from NC to visit. (Oddly, we know a few people in NC). Here are the photos for this leg!

Saturday morning we arrived for the big meeting of the cousins! It had been about a year (!) since we had all gotten together, so Alex and Ryan probably didn't really remember each other, and Zachary wasn't quite around yet. It was so fun to see them all together. (There aren't a lot of pictures of all 3 of them, but what there is, is still to come.)Overall I think that they all played really well together and shared toys and people like pros! I feel I should say something more, but I don't know what. It was just a fun time!

After getting the boys settled in a bit, Phil and I went to lunch with my cousin, Craig, who is currently stationed at Fort Meade. Poor timing, he got there shortly after we left! While it had been a year for the younger cousins, we won't mention how long it has been for the older cousin generation...it will just make us all feel old. It was nice to catch up. Later in the day, our friend Jay came by. He and Phil went out for a bit and then returned for the ever popular Mario Kart. Again, it was good to catch up with him!

On Sunday, Phil and I took a sleepless Zachary on a car ride, hoping to trick him into napping. (It worked, kind of) We drove by our old house, and around town, seeing what was the same and what was new. And then, Uncle Charles and Aunt Pam came over to see all of the boys and brought some yummy chocolate cake. We always enjoy visiting with them!

**We seem to have failed to take pictures of/with our many visitors. Maybe someone else's camera has some photos they would like to share!

Monday was a causal, no plan day. We all decided to go to Columbia Mall to ride the carousel (see, Zachary? You did get to ride a carousel!), have some lunch and generally burn off some energy. Part of this plan was also that the boys would sleep on the way up. Alex and Zachary snoozed on the way, Ryan decided to start his snooze as they were pulling into the parking lot! While we let Ryan rest, Alex explored the courtyard in front of LL Bean. He loved the kayaks. When we were waiting, Alex asked many times to ride the carousel. I told him we could ride it when Aunt Leslie, Grandma and Ryan got there. So he was running around the courtyard and then he saw them walking towards us. His train of thought: "I want blue boat. I want blue boat. I ride carousel!!"

On Tuesday morning, I insisted that the boys all sit on the couch for pictures. I didn't care if they were good pictures, but it was going to happen!I took a bunch, and Leslie and Grandma did too. Maybe one of theirs is better, but I think this is a pretty good one. Ryan was a ham, Zachary was squirming around, and Alex was trying to act like he didn't really care. These guys are a handful!
We had to say good-bye to Aunt Leslie and Ryan (home to NC) and Grandma (retired but still working). We were sad, but hopeful that the next visit will not be so far away!
Then, Phil, the boys and I drove up to Baltimore to have brunch with my Great Uncle Roy, Kathleen and Craig. Oddly enough, Uncle Roy and Kathleen live in L.A., but we all had to go to Baltimore to meet up! Another nice visit. Back to Laurel to finish packing and say good-bye to Grandpa.

Wow! We had such a great time visiting with everyone! Thank you all for taking the time and effort to come see us!

Washington DC

We spent a few days exploring DC, or "Downtown DC" as Alex likes to call it. I've put a few highlight photos here, but there were way too many pictures to share in this blog, so here is an online album! The flight out was a bit crazy. Soon after take-off both boys fell asleep for about an hour. Then they woke up and were squirmy, squirmy, squirmy! It was late by any time zone standards when we got in, but they were both wide awake and ready to go. Where do they find the energy? As we were waiting (and waiting) for the shuttle bus to the rental car, Alex kept pointing to every bus and asking "How about this bus?" We finally got the car and were on the road and the boys finally fell asleep.
Here the boys are posing with the Washington Monument the next morning. (if you squint you can just see it through the haze). Our hotel room view was amazing, and the location was pretty awesome too! Just a couple of blocks down from the White House. Phil had this first day off from work, so we headed to the Museum of Natural History to check out the dinosaurs. Zachary enjoyed the bees in the insect exhibit. Alex seemed to enjoy looking at everything. He is such an explorer. Later in the day, Grandma and Grandpa Prather came into the city to have dinner and walk around the sites. We spent a lot of time at the Sherman Memorial with Zachary sleeping and Alex running around and around the base of the monument. Eventually we wondered over to the White House to see if anyone was at home. If they were, they weren't answering the bell.

Thursday Phil had to go into work, but Grandma and Grandpa came back into town and took us to the National Zoo. It was really muggy, and I don't really remember seeing very many animals, but we did see the panda bears, and really that is the main purpose of the National Zoo. It was the first time either boy had ridden on a subway system. I wasn't sure how they would react, but they both did really well. Zachary even held on to the hand-pole! Alex was fascinated by the trains coming and going.

Friday was another work day, but we had big plans! Our curling friends who have moved to NC came up to see us. We met at the hotel and walked by the White House for Mae, who is a big Obama fan and then found a nice shady spot of grass on the Ellipse. Kirsten brought a bunch of fun toys to play with, and a box of cookies that Mae and Alex pretty much finished off.
This is not the best picture we have, but I love how the little ones are crying and the big ones are trying to pretend they don't know them.

We walked over to the Washington Monument because Alex wanted to touch it. The Collins clan had to head home early but we had lots of fun in the time we had.

While talking to our friend Rachel about dinner plans, she told me about a carousel on the National Mall by the Smithsonian Castle. Since the boys were too wound up to nap, I decided to be adventurous and take them there. It was a bit of a risk, there was definitely a storm coming up, but it all still sounded fun. On the way over, Phil called to say he was done with work, so he planned to meet us there. I thought it would be fun if Phil rode the carousel with each boy and I would take pictures. Alex went first, mostly because he knew he wanted to ride, and was barely containable while we waited for Phil to get there. Sure enough, just as the ride was ending, the skies opened up and it started to POUR! Phil thought we should run over to the Hirshhorn Museum to get out of the rain and view some art. During the storm, the carousel was under repair. Sadly the repairs took longer than expected and Zachary didn't get a chance to ride. Don't worry, we'll make it up to you Zachary! After a drenching walk back to the hotel, we had some time to rest and dry off before heading out to dinner with Rachel. She reminded us that everytime we all get together on Pennsylvania Avenue, it rains! Hmm... we'll have to keep that in mind!

Saturday morning we headed out of DC to Grandma and Grandpa's place in Laurel, Maryland.
Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from DC:

Thank you, Alex. This makes all of the hidden face photos worth it!

Zachary was very happy to see Daddy and really enjoyed playing with his hat. Not to mention the Daddy looks nice in uniform!

End of May Fun

We went to the University of California, Berkeley for a morning of running around and exploring campus and a bit of shopping at the bookstore. The boys had a run in with a bear, but fortunately everyone was safe. Zachary was very relieved!

We also upgraded Zachary to his new car seat. It will grow with him into a toddler seat and then a booster seat. Hopefully he likes it, he's stuck with it for a while! Alex got bumped from his coveted middle seat, but I think that he is enjoying sitting near the side window, especially since he is tall enough now to actually see out of the window.






Let's see, what else? Oh yes, Zachary battled a blueberry muffin. Zachary 1, Muffin 0. And I'm pretty sure Alex picked most of this outfit out himself!

And just for fun:

Misc. fun photos

What? He's in the activity center. Working the biceps is important.
Bath time is more fun a deux. Modesty is a must.

Sweeties!

Lunch time at the park. Swinging with friends.

Busy weekend

Alex is obsessed with Wee Play. Every time we get in the car, he thinks we are going to Wee Play. So even though it was really nice out and we should have gone to the park, we went to Wee Play on Friday. Because of the nice weather, it wasn't crowded, so Zachary was able to try out some new toys. He really enjoyed riding in the little cars and on a little bike too. I don't know what was over to the left, but it was much more exciting than me taking pictures. Now are they both going to be obsessed?!



On Saturday we had Dominic come over to play. His Mommy was in the hospital with his new baby brother! The boys had a lot of fun playing together. We went to the farmer's market for berries for lunch. We couldn't resist the cuteness of 3 red-headed boys in the backseat of our car. Dominic picked out a nice bouquet for his Mommy and Baby Brother.

Zachary is beginning (finally) to enjoy food that is not jarred baby food. He is a super messy eater, and refuses to wear a bib. I know, I'm bigger than him, just put it on him. But he rips it off and hurts his little neck in the process. I just have to become friends with my stain removers. Here he is enjoying some toast at breakfast. Oh, and did I mention messy eaters? Alex enjoyed his meal too!

Finally, we took Zachary to the post to be weighed. 19 pounds 2 ounces, again. But he grew a little and is 28 inches now. Of course these are at home measurements and subject to the poor execution of a mommy and a squirmy baby. Alex likes to walk on beams (curbs usually) and was following a line on the sidewalk. This picture is just before the electronic eye on the door spotted him and popped open. Alex jumped back, wide-eyed!

Happy Mother's Day

G came to visit us for the weekend, and it just so happened to also be Mother's day. We didn't really get a lot of pictures this visit, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun! (this photo is the best we could get, you know the drill) On Friday, G and the boys stayed home while I went to the eye doctor (oh the excitement!) and did a little bit of shopping by myself (ok, that was exciting). Then on Saturday we all went to the Alameda Street Fair. There were all the standard booths of crafts and tasty snacks. Kashi was there giving out samples of cereals. Alex and Phil both love cereal so that was a treat. And, this year we visited the little petting zoo. Alex wanted to pick up a chicken - the chicken had other ideas. Zachary didn't go in this time, but was able to pet a goat through the fence. For Mother's day, G arranged with Phil that she would stay with the boys and he and I go out for a nice brunch. I had creme brulee french toast! It was so yummy and I was so happy to have it all to myself! Then the boys gave G her special present, a platter they painted and hand printed. They also made one for Grandma Prather. Both Grandmas were happy with their platters and all of the hard work the boys did!


Hope your Mother's day was great too!

Not your typical May Day

Instead of May Poles and flowers, we went to Travis Air Force Base for May Day. We mainly went because we never had before and we wanted to get Zachary's new car seat. But, the most fun was had at the air museum. There's not much to say about it, there were a bunch of planes on display outside

and then more "museum-y" stuff inside with a T-37 cockpit you were allowed to touch and sit in.

At least the pilot is taking his duties seriously. The co-pilot is having too much fun!

There is some weird lighting on Zachary's eye. Hey! Can you see those little chompers?