Wrapping up May

May has drawn to a close with a fast and furious bang.

We were fortunate to snag tickets to the Hirshhorn Museum's Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors exhibit, which was a total trip. Henry was particularly amazed by the exhibits, particularly the pumpkin one, of which there is no photo evidence because I am a rule follower through and through.

We also visited Great Falls National Park after several suggestions from neighbors and Scott's coworkers. I am not sure if it's a regional difference, but as you can see from the photos, the rapids were impressive, but I was expecting the water to be pouring off from a bit higher elevation. It was a beautiful drive and certainly worth a repeat visit for the trails and picnicking opportunities.

I was quite surprised when we received not one but two invitations to birthday parties this month, the first of which being Scott's coworker's four-year-old son, who had his party at Roer's Zoofari, a zoo/petting zoo/animal "experience" in suburban Virginia. We walked around feeding various farm animals, monkeys, meerkats, and even a giraffe. There is also a bus that takes you through large gated area (think Wild Animal park but MUCH smaller scale) allowing you to feed and touch bison, llamas, emus-the perfect party for a four-year-old and all of his classmates...and one new kid who was ready to be his best friend.

Holding the budgies was a pretty cool experience, until one flapped onto my head. No photo evidence in that flurry of a moment!

The Haselton ladies drove up to PA to surprise Scott's cousin Melisa for her birthday over Memorial Day weekend, and meet up with her parents/his aunt and uncle who were in from California. We had a great time celebrating the birthday girl and taking in the local wildlife on the way home-a slowpoke snapping turtle going the wrongway on the road.

We spent Memorial Day reflecting at the Reflecting Pool and visiting the memorials and monuments along the National Mall during the morning and bubbles and bike riding in our backyard in the afternoon-the only thing missing was an actual barbecue...but we got plenty of whiffs from our neighbors! Methinks one will find its way onto our patio in the very near future.

May also brought days at the park, an intense lighting and thunder show, a first visit to the National Building Museum, and ladies wine night with my neighbors. In the coming weeks we are looking forward to a visit from both sets of grandparents and even friends from home. Yay summer!

May Days

I sound like a broken record when I say the days are flying by and May is already half over!

Josephine is six months old and while her sleeping habits leave something to be desired, she's a really sweet gal. She absolutely adores her brother, and has just started sitting up and scooting/army crawling everywhere. She's very interested in the world around her yet has a pretty hard time letting me out of her sight. My hands and heart are full!

In early May we went to the National Cathedral for the Flower Mart, a festival of flowers, boutique shopping, and children's activities. Henry had a ball playing games and of course, in the bounce house. We even ran into a California connection I'd been meaning to connect with, randomly!

On our weekly grocery trips into Alexandria on the George Washington Parkway, we pass by Daingerfield Island, and I have been meaning to stop for months. I finally pulled the trigger and it was a perfect little jaunt for Henry-geese, boats, planes taking off from Ronald Reagan, and the DC skyline in the distance.

We've enjoyed dinner dates with our neighbors, and playdates with Henry's closest friend out here :)

There have been shenanigans and rainy days...

And a pretty great Mother's Day, complete with a charcuterie picnic and strawberry picking.

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...and the cutest little farm house you ever did see!

I love the way Josephine looks at and loves her brother :)
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April-Part II

The momentum of April kept going during the second half, as we explored more of our neighborhood and beyond.

Walking distance from our house is the Congressional Cemetery, where the likes of John Philip Sousa and other somewhat notable individuals are buried (I'd say B-C listers.) The cemetery has tombstones honoring members of Congress, but as the FAQ on their website clearly states, "You just have to be dead" to be buried there. Haha. What's unique is that the cemetery offers memberships for dog owners to use as an off-leash dog walking park.

We found some dates as far back as the 1700s and both Scott and I walked away feeling like the entire graveyard had a Haunted Mansion feel-it wasn't orderly with rows of tombstones, but rather haphazardly arranged, even like Halloween decorations. Definitely worth walking through again.

Besides the cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin, the azaleas at the National Arboretum are a big attraction for spring blooms in DC. The azaleas did not disappoint. In the picture below, you can also see columns in the distance, which are the original ones from the Capitol. They are standing in acres of green fields-it's a unique site to see.

We also ventured over to Georgetown last weekend-now that's a fabulous neighborhood! We explored and picnicked at Montrose Park where Josephine enjoyed her first swing ride, and made our way to Sprinkles so Henry could devour one of his most favorite things-a chocolate cupcake.

Onward to May!