Travel, Travel, Travel

Whoa! Where has our family been lately?  It feels like everywhere but home.

At the end of March, we traveled to San Antonio with the Granados family to see Daniel Tiger Live. We rented a house in need of a little TLC located in a somewhat sketchy part of town.   All the more reason to get out and enjoy ourselves.   It was an awesome weekend, and we are so lucky to have friends with kids who want to travel with us despite the beautiful chaos it may entail.

Cutest little vet at the Children's Museum.

Riding the mini train!

This is 30 minutes parking and 45 minutes waiting for a table.

We walked almost an hour in search of this trolley and then we
left a phone on it.

Trolley snacks.

Tailgating before Daniel Tiger.

Daniel and his Trolley.

Daniel Tiger live was so exciting Chris
fell asleep.

At the end of a busy weekend.

The weekend following Daniel Tiger was Vivian's wedding and Katy's first flower girl gig.  Despite Katy's reserved nature in group settings, she did so well walking down the isle by herself with all eyes on her tiny self.   About halfway down the isle, she ran out of petals and looked back despairingly at Chris, which of course made everyone chuckle.  Luckily, I had the forethought to tell Katy before the wedding that if people laugh, it meant she was doing her job well and that everyone was happy.  So, she took the laughter in stride and continued walking down the isle empty handed like such a big girl.

The wedding was gorgeous, of course.  I missed the first part of the reception because Katy needed a nap, but I woke her up in time to listed to two mariachi bands (my mother-in-law accidentally booked two bands without realizing it until they both showed up at the same time!), eat the delicious popsicles, take pictures in the photo booth, sit for a caricature drawing, and run around barefoot on the green lawn with my three-year-old.  It really was a beautiful wedding.

Pre-wedding Pictures.

Mad at the wind because it kept blowing petals from her basket.

So. Stinkin'. Cute.

Sometimes a picture gives me a glimpse of my future big girl.  This is one of them.

Wedding reception nap.

Yay for popsicles.

Two weeks after Vivian's wedding, Katy and I were back in North Texas for the wedding of my long-time friend, Heather.  The wedding weekend was a blast! Katy shared her second flower girl gig with 14 flower children, including two of her cousins.  It was fun (and perhaps slightly chaotic) to see so many children in one wedding.  Heather went above and beyond by accommodating all the children with festive kid-sized tables at the reception filled with food and treats just for them.  Whenever I tried to take Katy around to meet people I hadn't seen since before she was born, she quickly wiggled away from me and ran back to her spot at the exciting kid's table.

Katy and I stayed in town a few extra days after the wedding to visit family.

Bachelorette party!

Sleeping on the edge in preparation for flower girl duties.

Katy and her cousins with the bride!

Look at that fun kiddie table!

Love this beautiful bride!

Reading with Gigi.

Katy loves her Gigi!

And she thinks Pops isn't so bad either.

My grandma said this was her first time to paint.

Four generations of ladies painting together.

Three days after returning home from our trip for Heather's wedding, we were on an airplane.  We met my brother-in-law, Jesse, and his family in Washington DC and spent the week touring the capital with three kids three-years-old and under.  We were a slow moving operation consisting of two strollers.  We interrupted pedestrian traffic, filled elevators, clogged escalators, and delayed passengers exiting or boarding public transit (especially during rush hour).  We toted the kids from monuments to museums to cemeteries to restaurants, we denied them nap times and regular bedtimes, and we bribed them with loads of snacks and even a little time on the i-pad.  Despite all this, we had a blast and the kids did pretty well (until the last couple of days when everyone was just plain tired).  Our last day in DC, we swapped baby sitting duties, allowing the kids to stay in our rented apartment all day while Chris and I went out in the morning and Jesse and Vanessa went out in the afternoon.  It was a brilliant idea discovered way too late.

The cherry blossoms were starting to bloom!

Cousins.

Cousins running.

She found her favorite at the Natural History Museum.

Winning at parenting.

At the Air and Space Museum.

She was so excited to see "el lapiz."

Snacks with a backdrop.

Kids ran up the stairs, while the parents dragged their strollers behind them.

Underwhelmed by Lincoln.

Fala was her absolute favorite.

More running.  Until socks were soaked.

No Katy meant we could sit for a lecture at the Supreme Court.

Finally a museum the kids really enjoyed!

We found Chinatown.

Easter Sunday Easter Egg Hunt.

The loot.

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Jammie time!

Grocery shopping in a suitcase.

Cherry blossoms by the white house.

Pedicab ride.

We loved the pedicab ride.

We loved the National Portrait Gallery.

Clogging the elevators with confidence.

And now we're home.  For now at least.