Nice Fall Weekend

It was a very nice Fall weekend here. Great weather for being outside before it starts to get too cold. On Sunday morning we went to the gym and then Colin got to go swimming. He really enjoys playing around in the pool and this time he did not want to wear his life jacket at all. When it was time to go, it was not a unanimous decision. You can't believe how many times we heard "I go pool" during his fit. After regrouping, we went to paint pumpkins at the local park. Colin was very proud of his artwork and Daddy was very pleased that he managed not to get any paint on his Steelers shirt. We did not plan well.

I can't believe it's true, Colin is Two!

Last week we had Colin's 2nd birthday party down in Virginia. The only kids were Colin and his cousins, but he did not seem to mind at all. He really enjoyed all of the attention from both Grandparents. We planned a very busy day for Colin starting with the International Children's festival at Wolf Trap where we met a very tall lady, watched tap and Indian dancers, made some arts and crafts and almost petted a horse. After a very short nap, we opened presents went to the park and then had a nice party with dinner and cake. Colin is getting so big.

The next day Colin discovered yet another present, a train table set that was set up in the living room. Colin loves the new train set and it is compatible with everything he has already. We are definately going to have to finish the basement to have a place for his toys.

Legoland

Colin had a great time visiting Legoland in California, even though they were very conservative with their rides. There were almost no rides that Colin could go on even accompanied by a parents. In contrast, Dutch Wonderland left much more to the parents judgement which was the opposite extreme for the first ride Colin tried there. What makes Legoland a bit different is all of the amazing Lego structures all over the park. The first picture is part of Miniland with lego creations of many cities. Here is Colin and Keira outside of DC (appropriately enough). The gang is also pictured with a Lego tourist.

Keira's favorite ride was the Beetle Bounce shown at the bottom. She did not ride too many rides but that one she must have gone on 6 or 7 times.

More to come...

PS - Only 11 days until Colin is 2!

San Diego

We have just returned from a busy week long vacation in San Diego. Colin really had a great time hanging out with his cousins and all of the activities. This was probably the best, most memorable vacation in his life. Our list of activities included visits to Legoland, the San Diego Zoo, the USS Midway, 2 Aquariums, the beach (of course) and a lagoon. I have a number of pictures I plan to post on the blog from the trip and we have to get ready for the return to the old routine, so I will keep this short for tonight.

Trip to the Zoo with Grandparents

This past weekend Colin's grandparents from Pittsburgh came to visit. "Mayor", as Colin likes to call him and Grandma had a great time taking Colin to the Zoo. I think his favorite part was the Gorillas because he was able to get up close to the glass and say hi. Hopefully, he is still interested in the Zoo because that is on our agenda next week as well. We leave tomorrow morning very early for San Diego! We are all very excited for a week of vacation.

Colin also enjoyed getting ice cream and meeting the firemen on Saturday. He sat in two different fire trucks and still enjoys wearing his little Fire Chief hat.

More Pictures from Visit

Here are a couple of more pictures from Dutch Wonderland and Hagley that are Blogworthy. Colin was very determined on the train to turn the wheel with his hands. He would get very frustrated if his hands came off as I was pushing him.

The old school house at Hagley was a hit. Here is a cute picture of Colin with his Cousin Keira. I wish Colin was looking at the camera with his smile.

We have a couple quiet weekends to start August but then Colin's Grandparents come to visit and then it is off to San Diego for vacation.

Hagley Museum

Part 2 of the busy weekend with all the visitors was a trip to Hagley Museum. For those of you not in the know, this is where DuPont Company was formed. You can learn all about the early years of DuPont and the making of black powder (gunpowder). The Brandywine River provided the power to the Works and you can see it in the background behind the girls and Colin (who was overdue for lunch). The second picture is after lunch. Much better!