Put me in the Zoo!!!!

We saw all kinds of animals, like this regal cheetah.







Check out that long tongue!!!







Cute from all angles...

Ella and Grandma Engelhart looking at the giraffes.

Les Elefant!!!

The Giraffes were so cool,
and the Baltimore Zoo has a neat program
where you can feed the giraffes.
How cool is that?!!!

You talkin' to me?

We also saw leopards,

Rhinos,







and Turtles.

Is it a real turtle?
Am I that brave with my daughter's limbs?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
She had 10 fingers and 10 toes
when we arrived at the zoo,
and the same number
of digits when we left.

Ella and another boy were watching
the otters wrestle.

On our way to the plane...homeward bound!

Finally this brings me to the end of our photos from back east.
Now on to the photos taken since we returned.

Seeing Sweeney

Denise and Mike get Married!!!

Introducing Mr. Mike Brennan and Dr. Denise Kall.
The happy couple!

We were so excited and honored to be invited in the celebration.

This is DISCO GRANDMA!!!

I swear everyone
wanted to adopt
this groovy grandma!!!

She was pulling people
out of their seats
to come on the dance floor.

She didn't hit a chair
from the first dance onward.
She was amazing!!!!

We spent a lot of our quick visit with Brian and Jill Brockway.

Both of our kids love Jill and Brian and they helped me with the 2 a lot!

Who says he doesn't do well with babies?
Fin looks quite content!
And the happy couple married almost 4 years now!

Ella did not stop all night long!!!
She was moving and groovin'.
She twisted and turned
on the floor with many people.
Her sassy style had people
laughing and smiling
throughout the festivities.

How can you not love that squished puckered face?
Ella was putting the moves on Brennan the entire night!


She moved closer and closer,
until she planted those lips right on
the poor (or in my opinion lucky) boy!
It was really cute!


Yes, we will have our hands full
in the teenage years if this
is merely a hint of her future habits.

Ella the Fairy

Our visit with Grandma Engelhart

These are some of the photos from visiting family in York. Hope you enjoy!

The End of a Fantastic Weekend

Hailey eating chocolate sorbet.

Ella and Sable playing.

Grandpa Salerno holding a sleeping Fin.

Ella kissing daddy.

Ella and Grandma Salerno looking at the birds.

Fin smiling on the bed.

Grandma and Grandpa Salerno with the Grandkids.

A beautiful Savannah Sunset!

Grandma and Grandpa's Party in Savannah

Grandpa and Grandma Jenkins

Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins joined by Uncle Ray and Aunt Jean.

The Hannans and Jenkins

Fin flirting with Aunt Diane.

Uncle Ray an Aunt Jean

Ella looking at River Street below.

Linda holding Fin.

Fin cuddling with his froggy at the end of the night.

A happy day and fun party.

Tybee Island Beach photos

Ella and daddy in water.

Fin touching sand for the first time.

The Hannans (Mike's sister's family)

Christabella, our newest niece.

Uncle Adam (Mike's Brother) and Fin in the waves.

Ella playing with the sand texture.

Dance! Dance! Dance!

Fin smiling at Daddy.

The cousins, Hailey and Ella playing in the sand.


We had a great time at the beach. It was wonderful seeing some sand and sun, but it was even better just to be spending time with family.

Now that I have had a month to recover...

Ok, Back to the blog! Sorry about my hiatus. Let's chalk it up to summer and start again...

Here we go with a vengeance...

Home again, Home again

Well our whirlwind trip back east is now over...

We loved seeing all the family and friends as we crammed a summers worth of travel into 12 days. There is the recap, with photos to follow...
Day 1: BWI to Alexandria, VA
A nice time to refamiliarize Ella with Adam and Sarah and an introduction to beautiful Sable.
Day 2: Alexandria, VA to Savannah, GA
A long drive that was a nice time for Mike and I to catch up since we had been missing each other with schedules the past couple weeks. We ended with a nice dinner with Adam and Sarah at Paula Deen's restaurant.
Day 3: Savannah/Tybee Island, GA
BEACH DAY, and Grandma and Grandpa's party. We loved seeing them and all the cousins! SO much fun!
Day 4: Savannah, GA
Time to explore Savannah with family...
Day 5: Savannah, GA to Alexandria, VA
Breakfast with Linda and Mike then on the road. A wonderfully relaxing evening with Adam and Sarah.
Day 6: Alexandria, Va to York, PA (Mike flew home)
After a tough daddy dropoff, we were on our way to York to see my mom. After she got home from work we got to see her. Well worth the wait!
Day 7: York, PA
A lazy day at home, we did go in and have lunch with Grandma at school. After school, Renate and Kathy got haircuts!
Day 8: York, PA
The kids were not feeling so hot after all the exhaustive travel, so we had a quiet day at home. Gladys, a family friend, came to see the kids. When my mom got home from work, we had Sally and Didi over for dinner. It was wonderful!
Day 9: York, PA to Alexandria, VA
After work, my mom drove with us to Adam and Sarah's to spend the night. We had a nice dinner with them and Sarah's brother, Mike.
Day 10: Alexandria, VA to Raleigh, NC
Off to the wedding, we got there just in time to change and get on the shuttle. A beautiful ceremony, couple and reception. Ella is a dancing queen!
Day 11: Raleigh, NC to Gaithersburg, MD
A quick visit with my cousin Amy who is expecting a new baby this week! We were so excited to get to see her, Sean and Allison. Ella and Allison play so nicely together.
Day 12: Fly Home
But not before squeezing in more travel!!!! We went to the Baltimore Zoo to see some animals and tire them out before the flight. It was great, the Baltimore Zoo is so kid friendly and has a fantastic children's zoo area with places for them to play and explore.

We were so glad to see daddens (Mike) when we got home. I have 2 very exhausted kids, but they are happy and we saw a LOT of loved ones. It was a great trip.