Sunday in DC reached up into the 70s, a perfect day for the zoo! Mame and I packed up the almost-two-year-olds and got a coveted parking spot close to...
The Elephants!!! Graham had been talking about elephants all week. Oh, the little man was soooo happy after we watched a 20 minute or so elephant training. Two female elephants lifted their legs, pretended to fall asleep, opened their mouths...and played with Big Balls.
When we left them, Graham said bye bye and waved to them. (Julia kept close to me, and her response to the elephants? "Big." Indeed!)
The sloth bear didn't truly please...living up to his name, it was 10:40 am and he was just waking up...but the Pandas were out, eating Bamboo. As ever, Julia kept pointing to the posters of the Panda...I just think that the reality of the large animals does not live up to the two-year-old image of what a Bear should be like!!! (cuddly and small so she can hold the bear!)
Next up: Graham's close personal friend, Mr. Orangutan, was swinging from the ropes which run, oh, 50 feet or higher off the ground and are called the O Line...the ropes run between the Great Ape House and the Think Tank...it was AMAZING!! And we saw not one, but two orangutans swinging overhead...it was a true traffic stopper!
Julia now says that the Big Monkey was in the "Air. Up. Air."
And Graham?
Elephant
Nose. Elephant Nose.
And Graham squishes his little nose for effect.
Way too cute!
PS: Here is a description from the National Zoo website about the O Line:
"Curators designed the world's first Orangutan Transport System (OTS), a system of towers and cables that allows the animals to move between two buildings. The Orangutan Transport System, or O Line, consists of eight, 50-foot-high (12.2 m) towers connected by plastic-coated, steel cables. At the lowest point, the cables are about 35 feet (10.7 m) off the ground. The entire distance of the O Line is about 490 feet (149.5 m)."
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
We're almost two!
The two cutest, smartest, funniest children on earth are...almost two!
And as their April 3 birthday approaches, they are taking more risks than ever before.
To wit: I heard a Yelp from the nursery Sunday afternoon, during nap time. When I walked into the room, Julia was sitting in Graham's crib with just her sly smile. Graham looked stunned. And annoyed.
I picked Julia up out of the crib, turned around, and Graham scrambled up and over His Crib...ending with a thud on the floor.
Sigh. Time for toddler beds!
And as their April 3 birthday approaches, they are taking more risks than ever before.
To wit: I heard a Yelp from the nursery Sunday afternoon, during nap time. When I walked into the room, Julia was sitting in Graham's crib with just her sly smile. Graham looked stunned. And annoyed.
I picked Julia up out of the crib, turned around, and Graham scrambled up and over His Crib...ending with a thud on the floor.
Sigh. Time for toddler beds!
Itsy Bitsy Spider .... the sun comes out and dries ... whatever the words are!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
A morning at the zoo
The zoo brought many fun surprises when we visited with Intown Playgroup on a recent Friday morning.
Graham took to the Gorillas, the Orangutans, and the elephants. At the Gorilla house, only plexiglass separated us all from the Gorillas and the Orangutans...Graham adored the huge beasts. The gorillas would walk back and forth on a ledge right in front of him, and his joy was obvious.
As for Julia, she shivered against me when the gorillas walked on the other side of the plexiglass. The beasts were just too large for her!
But the mommy carrying her baby gorilla on her back obviously made an impression on Julia, who kept saying when we returned home.
Gorilla
Baby
Then Julia would point to her own back and say "back. Baby." Beyond adorable, our Julia!
Back to the Gorilla house...
Graham also made a very dear friend, Mr. Orangutan...the two stared one another down, and Graham was thrilled. So fun.
I'm the cutest animal here, well, my brother's okay too!
Can we take the Emu home? I promise to feed and walk him!!!
Elephant! Trunk! Elephant! Trunk! Graham anounced these words to every tourist at the zoo. He'll make a terrific volunteer some day ;)
These Gorillas and Orangutans are awfully big. Let's go eat cookies!
Graham took to the Gorillas, the Orangutans, and the elephants. At the Gorilla house, only plexiglass separated us all from the Gorillas and the Orangutans...Graham adored the huge beasts. The gorillas would walk back and forth on a ledge right in front of him, and his joy was obvious.
As for Julia, she shivered against me when the gorillas walked on the other side of the plexiglass. The beasts were just too large for her!
But the mommy carrying her baby gorilla on her back obviously made an impression on Julia, who kept saying when we returned home.
Gorilla
Baby
Then Julia would point to her own back and say "back. Baby." Beyond adorable, our Julia!
Back to the Gorilla house...
Graham also made a very dear friend, Mr. Orangutan...the two stared one another down, and Graham was thrilled. So fun.
I'm the cutest animal here, well, my brother's okay too!
Can we take the Emu home? I promise to feed and walk him!!!
Elephant! Trunk! Elephant! Trunk! Graham anounced these words to every tourist at the zoo. He'll make a terrific volunteer some day ;)
These Gorillas and Orangutans are awfully big. Let's go eat cookies! Julia with Stephanie.
" Hey, Jules! Look at my new friend! Isn't he neat? Do you think we can sneak him up to our bedroom?"
" Hey, Jules! Look at my new friend! Isn't he neat? Do you think we can sneak him up to our bedroom?""Um, he's awfully big, let's go eat lunch!"
"Aw, c'mon Julia! We can put some of our dinner in our pants and sneak it up to him! Mommy will never know!"
"Huh, mommy? I can't take him home? Why Not?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Orangutan. My mommy said no. But I'll come back to visit you soon, OK?"
"Uh, mommy said these were lions, but we were standing far away on a hill and ran over here. Mommy then said 'oops, I didn't have my glasses on. They are only horses.' What a gyp!"
Hey! You! Mr! Turn around, I have something to talk to you about!
Aw, please???
Hey! Get back here! I want to talk to you about something really important!
Now, this is MY idea of how to visit the zoo. Statues and Posters and stuffed animals, oh my!
"Aw, c'mon Julia! We can put some of our dinner in our pants and sneak it up to him! Mommy will never know!"
"Huh, mommy? I can't take him home? Why Not?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Orangutan. My mommy said no. But I'll come back to visit you soon, OK?"
"Uh, mommy said these were lions, but we were standing far away on a hill and ran over here. Mommy then said 'oops, I didn't have my glasses on. They are only horses.' What a gyp!"
Hey! You! Mr! Turn around, I have something to talk to you about!
Aw, please???
Hey! Get back here! I want to talk to you about something really important!
Now, this is MY idea of how to visit the zoo. Statues and Posters and stuffed animals, oh my!Saturday, March 13, 2010
Moving day, Goodbye Capitol Hill January 2010
In late January, we finally moved from our home on Capitol Hill. It was a treasured and loved home which was witness to our large wedding rehearsal party, where we welcomed many friends and family members from near and far, to celebrate our love and life.
We had our children in the house, and hosted numerous literary and musical events. We gave our dear Uncle Ed's farewell memorial with many family members after his internment at Arlington National Cemetary.
Just as important, we had good neighbors who always made us feel welcome and a part of the Capitol Hill Community. The judge who married us lived next door, the four Reed boys lived on the other side of us and always had time to play with Graham and Julia. I won't even go into how much I'll miss our beloved Eastern Market and the close walk to the Capitol grounds where Julia and Graham and I ventured many evenings. The Folger Shakespeare was a staple for PEN/Faulkner literary readings, the Library of Congress was a true research resource with incredibly knowledgable librarians, and the Supreme Court served as a reminder to us of the nine Justices who really make the decisions in this country (!). All, highlights of the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Alas, Terence spent 1.5 years renovating The Linthicum House in Georgetown, built in 1926, paying attention to each historic detail. It is a lovely Federal Home and a Historic Landmark in Georgetown.
It was time to move into our gorgeous home.
Our first week here was the Blizzard of 2010, and Terence and the babies and I headed out once or twice in the snowstorm. Graham and Julia were not too crazy about the cold, so we often ended up at the deli down the street, where both babies loved the muffins and sitting around the table with us.
We are now happily settled into our new home and, at least for me, my old Georgetown neighborhood where I'd lived for 8 years prior to meeting Terence. We are closer to the playgroup--2.5 blocks, although walking Graham and Julia over may take 10-15 minutes, as we explore each melting snowbank, climb stairs, and touch budding flowers.
Enjoy the pics!
Julia and her pink snowboots, hugging daddy (or squiggling away!)
Graham prefers his own Goldfish to the deli's delights.
Graham, doubtful of the snow
Snowed in! Our new home in Georgetown
Capitol Hill--moving Day
One of Graham's favorite hiding/playing places on East Capitol: In the pan cupboard...he could close the door behind him and you'd never know he was in there!
We had our children in the house, and hosted numerous literary and musical events. We gave our dear Uncle Ed's farewell memorial with many family members after his internment at Arlington National Cemetary.
Just as important, we had good neighbors who always made us feel welcome and a part of the Capitol Hill Community. The judge who married us lived next door, the four Reed boys lived on the other side of us and always had time to play with Graham and Julia. I won't even go into how much I'll miss our beloved Eastern Market and the close walk to the Capitol grounds where Julia and Graham and I ventured many evenings. The Folger Shakespeare was a staple for PEN/Faulkner literary readings, the Library of Congress was a true research resource with incredibly knowledgable librarians, and the Supreme Court served as a reminder to us of the nine Justices who really make the decisions in this country (!). All, highlights of the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Alas, Terence spent 1.5 years renovating The Linthicum House in Georgetown, built in 1926, paying attention to each historic detail. It is a lovely Federal Home and a Historic Landmark in Georgetown.
It was time to move into our gorgeous home.
Our first week here was the Blizzard of 2010, and Terence and the babies and I headed out once or twice in the snowstorm. Graham and Julia were not too crazy about the cold, so we often ended up at the deli down the street, where both babies loved the muffins and sitting around the table with us.
We are now happily settled into our new home and, at least for me, my old Georgetown neighborhood where I'd lived for 8 years prior to meeting Terence. We are closer to the playgroup--2.5 blocks, although walking Graham and Julia over may take 10-15 minutes, as we explore each melting snowbank, climb stairs, and touch budding flowers.
Enjoy the pics!
Julia and her pink snowboots, hugging daddy (or squiggling away!)
Graham prefers his own Goldfish to the deli's delights.
Graham, doubtful of the snow
Snowed in! Our new home in Georgetown
Capitol Hill--moving Day
One of Graham's favorite hiding/playing places on East Capitol: In the pan cupboard...he could close the door behind him and you'd never know he was in there!Friday, March 5, 2010
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