We're Back!

After trekking across the country and back - 4 flights, lots of driving, and lots of family in between - we're back and wishing we had more time to spend with everyone back in VA. My step-sister Charlotte and her husband James' wedding celebration was so fun (they got married in Nov. but it was small)! Family dinner Friday night at the Tides Inn was a nice chance for Billy and I to catch up with everyone sans Freddy (thanks to mom for babysitting!), and F got to spend some fun time with Grammy and his Posey cousins. Saturday was berry-picking (see photo), swimming with the Poseys and daddy while mom and sis Mary got manicures, playing with dogs (7? 8?), and then the wedding party itself down on Carter's Creek. Freddy got to get his groove on to the music, see lots of boats (plus a random crane and school bus at a marina next door), check out a birds' nest, and eat poached salmon. He entertained and was entertained, stayed up until almost 10 and was adorable pretty much the entire time! I've never seen him so sweaty...but it made his hair curl up and was pretty cute.

Through all that, Bill and I didn't take a single photo, so I'm relying on pics sent from my mom and brother-in-law Erik. You can almost see the humidity in the photo Mom took, below. Oh well. We'll be back at it, picture-taking, soon enough!

We're Back!

Freddy and I have been on 3 planes, 2 metro trains, 1 airport train, 1 rental car, 3 other cars, and 1 shuttle bus in the last 9 days, and although we are GLAD to be home, we had a great week seeing family, playing with new friends, and (for me) doing a little nonprofit work.

Saturday - Wednesday morning:
While I spent 2 1/2 days lobbying for more funding for arts, arts education, and other related issues on Capitol Hill, Freddy got some great Grammy (my mom) and Nana (my grandma) time in. They went to playgrounds and parks, watched squirrels, rode the metro, looked at cherry blossoms, and did their best not to mark up Nana's furniture. Thanks to Mom for driving up to DC to babysit while I was in meetings, and to Gram for feeding us and letting us disrupt her schedule. Oh, and for not getting mad when Freddy dinged her dining room table with a toy train. We were sad to leave DC and cried a little when mom drove away. :(

Wednesday afternoon-Sunday:
After a 4-hour drive from DC to Fair Haven, NJ, where Bill's sister Steph and her husband Rip live (Freddy did not sleep but was very good!), we arrived to much excitement. Freddy and his just-turned-2-year-old cousin Caitlin took about 60 seconds to warm up to each other and were off and running. They were adorable, and so is the newest addition to their family, Lloyd Harrison Bush III (no nickname yet, so he might just be Lloyd). Unbelievably, tiny Steph gave birth to a 9 lb, 4 oz baby boy...which is why she is back in her regular clothes already, as he was obviously taking up her entire belly space. Lloyd is about 2 1/2 weeks old and is a pretty darn good baby for being so new. Caitlin definitely loves her little brother (maybe a little too much sometimes), except for the occasional "put baby down" comment. We went to parks, took walks, and generally hung out and ate well. It was great! Caitlin got pretty sick our last 2 days there, unfortunately, so we probably should have tried to catch an earlier flight just to give her some space (and her crib back), but everybody hung in there. We also got to see Freddy's Uncle Doug and Aunt Christine, Bill's Aunt Helen, and Pop and Jan (some more than once)! I'm sure Steph and Rip are glad to have their house back to themselves. ;)

Freddy and I drove up to the airport yesterday for a direct flight back from Newark. He was so-so on the plane...I guess all I can say is that it could have been worse. In the meanwhile, he slept until almost 8 this morning and I slept like a rock. Now back to work! I'll try to get our photos off my camera in the next few days and get back into the blog routine.

Here's a photo Mom took at my grandma's condo...it almost doesn't look like Freddy but I think it's adorable!

A few more...

Ok, I think this is the last of the Doug and Christine photos - sorry, Dad - still not sure how I didn't get more photos of your visit! We had some great weather with everyone, and are really spoiled now. What are we going to do without everybody?

Lucky Billy is going to Philadelphia for a conference this weekend and staying a little extra to see Steph, Rip, and Caitlin, so he gets to continue the fun family times. I get Freddy solo for a long Fri-Tues weekend, and then Bill goes away again on the 20th for his trip to Romania!

Visit with Papa and Grandma Julie!

Well, I'm not sure how we got through a great, long visit and only took about 8 pictures, but here are a few of the ones that represent what we did! Freddy had fun chasing a peacock at the Aviary, checking out birds and giraffes at the zoo, and reading books with Julie and Dad. He's really getting good at saying everyone's names (Ju-yee, Papa, Gammy, Dug, 'Steen, etc.). It's so fun!

We took a short stop at a playground on the way home today and Freddy got to slide down the slide (which, strangely, he pronounces as "sh*t") and run around. Then, of course, we came home and played with Thomas trains. Story of our lives.

Catching up on Doug & Christine's trip

I just realized I had more photos from Doug & Christine's visit last weekend! Hope you enjoy these - I especially like the one of Doug & Christine skiing. They are so cute together.

We had a great visit with my dad and Julie this weekend! They arrived on Thursday night and left Monday morning. Apparently, somehow the weather here and on the east coast switched...they flew back into a snowstorm, but still managed to land on time. Long drive back from Baltimore, but they arrived safe and probably just a little cold. I'll upload some photos from their visit later this week! We went to the aviary, zoo, took walks, and generally had a nice time. We love having visitors! (hint hint)

Catching Up...

So, I have NO IDEA how I let an entire week go by without any blog posts. For those of you who are entertained by the photos (like Bill and Jan), I blame Doug and Christine and our friend Josh, our long-weekend visitors. 'Cause they were so much trouble to get ready for and entertain. :)

If you're my sister, you're probably somewhat thankful for the extra room in your inbox. ;) Just kidding, Mary!

So, I have some catching up to do and will bring you all up to speed. But for tonight, here are some photos from Doug and Christine's visit that you might enjoy. Sleep tight!