Wacky Wednesday

This is the reason that we can't keep our toilet paper roll in the holder...



Some pre-bath racing...

The Greatest Show on Earth

On Sunday we took a short trip up to Baltimore to see the Ringling Bros, Barnum and Bailey Circus. The circus normally comes to town in Baltimore this time of year, so when I was growing up, we went every year to celebrate my mom's birthday. Matt and I have gone a few times over the years in Baltimore and California, but we decided it was definitely time to start the tradition again with Jack! And this is the perfect time to start! He can't ask us for a $10 cotton candy and $25 souvenir toy yet!



Jack was enthralled with the clowns during the pre-show. He couldn't stop watching them in the center ring - only looked around to see the light up toys surrounding him! It was sensory overload!



We saw elephants, tigers, horses, dogs, zebras, acrobats, clowns, and many many more things. Jack seemed to really enjoy the horse and dog acts. He was really into it until intermission and then he started to get a little tired. Maybe next year he will enjoy the entire thing, but that poor guy passed out last night when he finally got to bed! What a day!

A Very Unique Lunch

Today we had lunch with the elephants. A unique tradition in Baltimore - when the circus comes to town, the elephants march down the street from the civic center to Lexington Market to feast on hay, apples, peppers, bananas, watermelon, carrots and many more delicious veggies and fruits! We watched them march down the street, and then walked over to the market to watch them eat! It was tons of fun and Jack really loved watching the BIG elephants! Can't wait to see the circus on Sunday!

A Day at the Races

On Sunday, we went to the annual spring treat in Southern Anne Arundel County - Steeplechase at Roedown. For the past few years, Roedown has been on the coldest, rainest day of the entire spring. But, not this year! It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. We enjoyed the horses, the races, and the fun and food with family and friends. Jack even tried to steal Daddy's beer - that kid!

Jack is 1!!!! (a few selected photos from the weekend)

Busiest Guy in Town

Today was a very busy day for Jack. This morning we (Amy, Jack and Hokie) met Grammy, Great Aunt Alison, and Harley at the dog park in Quiet Waters. After Hokie and Harley made friends with two other Cavaliers and a Cocker Spaniel, we took a short walk around the park. We stopped at the "Dragon" log - a huge log carved into a Dragon and a Tiger. We posed with the Tiger!



After the dog park, Mommy left for work and Jack, Grammy, and GA Alison went to Kinder Farm Park to play and see all the baby animals. Jack checked out the pigs, chickens, and cows - oh my!



But, of course we had to take a break to walk on the balance beam and slide down the slide.



To end a very busy, but very fun day, we had dinner with Grammy, Pop, and GA Alison - Daddy had duty - at Brio. Jack had the most delicious mac and cheese he has ever had (and ate almost the entire serving) and some yummy vanilla ice cream for desert! But, after such a busy day and such a big meal, sometimes you just need to take a nap.

Official Parade Review

Yesterday was the first parade of the season for the Naval Academy. Jack attended with his Grammy and Great Aunt Alison. The official parade review was done by Secretary Gates...



but no one remembered to mention this to Jack. He intently watched every aspect of the parade, especially the band. I'm sure he told Daddy what he thought when he got home last night!



When the parade was over, Jack was such a gentleman and helped Grammy push the stroller to the car. It was a very hot day, Grammy shouldn't have to push it all by herself. What a sweet kid!

Happy Easter!

Today we celebrated Jack's 2nd Easter. Much different from last year! Last Easter, Jack was 3 days old and we had our delicious Easter dinner catered by the Keys' Family Catering in our hospital room! This year, we started the days with Easter Baskets - Jack had goldfish and animal crackers in his eggs. He also got a huge blue bouncy ball and a ring tower. We fed Hokie some of our animal crackers!


After Easter Baskets, we went to church and then to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Naval Academy. We didn't really hunt any eggs this year, but we did get our photo with the Easter Bunny - and we saw Bill the Goat!


After church, we came home and did some yard work - it was a beautiful day. Jack enjoyed a picnic and toys on the front lawn while Mommy and Grammy planted.


We really worked up a hunger with all that yard work - it's time for Easter Dinner. Yum! Ham, salad, green beans, potato salad, and rolls...and a special bunny cake for desert!

Hokie Trumphs the Cavalier

No, this isn't a VT vs UVA football game blog entry! This is about our new puppy, Hokie. After our sad loss of Bailey (or Bayee, like Jack says), we decided it was just too hard not having a dog around. On Friday afternoon, Matt, Jack, my mom and I all drove down to Fredericksburg to pick up our new puppies. Yes, Annapolis to Fredericksburg, in the afternoon, on a Friday, on a holiday weekend. After about 4 hours, we finally got there! Our new puppy is a tri-color (or Prince Charles) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Of course, as a died hard VT family, we had to counteract the "Cavalier" part, so we named her Hokie. My parents' also got a tricolor puppy, a male, named Harley, or Sir Harley Oliver James. (he he he, fits him well) Harley is a bit shy, but Hokie is definitely a party girl and loves meeting new people, running after Jack around the house, and snuggling in our laps on the couch. We are so excited to have Hokie in the family! In the top picture, Hokie is standing up and Harley is laying down.

A very bunny morning

Today was Jack's first time meeting the Easter Bunny. He was only 3 days old last Easter. It went pretty well - no tears for the picture, but he did start crying about 1 second after she snapped it!




Of course we had to pose "post picture" with our bunny ears!

A Day in the City

On Wednesday, Jack, Grammy and I went up to Baltimore to scope out a good place to park and see the elephants when we go back up in two weeks. We parked at Lexington Market and walked down to the Inner Harbor for lunch. After a delicious grilled cheese at Johnny Rockets, we headed over towards the aquarium for some "nautical photos".