Dad's Visit

My dad was here for almost two weeks and Kathie came at the end for the last few days. We thought we were so lucky they came for so long, but, of course, it turned out to be so short!! Grandpa is awesome and was so helpful around the house, in our condo, with the girls, doing the dishes, making walking sticks and flower boxes--we loved having him around. We were total tourists too! WE saw museums and the Ford Theater, the monuments, the Arlington Cemetery and had a wonderful walk on Sunday on the Mall. We LOVE Grandpa Kay and Grandma Kathie and miss them! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Come to see us in Mozambique-- we can't wait two years to see you again :)
One of our favorite memories is throwing rocks into the creek and making a "dam" the little Mexican kids we played with called "the border." It was halarious...they also did such a good job organizing themselves and doing the work. Dad and I commented that we could not have gotten them to do what they did, but because they decided, they did it is no time. So cute! Sorry about the allergies guys!! Come in the winter next time! Love you!

How would you like to cuddle a kangaroo?

So, Peter and Michelle's neighbor is a zookeeper at a small zoo of exotic animals nearby. They are training a "baby" (meaning almost one year old) kangaroo to be an educational animal, so the zookeeper gets to take him home. Of course, he needs exercise, so one day we were visiting with them and saw their neighbor coming over holding a baby kangaroo. This wasn't just exciting for the kids - Dad got totally into it, as well. Can you imagine how cool it is to hold a baby kangaroo and then watch him hop around your front lawn? Not your everyday, "Mom, can I go pet him?" Just look at the faces of the two girls holding him. Once in a lifetime.

Mika's Birthday!!!

The BIG 3!!!! Mikaela has been wanting to be three for months now, so today was a BIG day. She was probably wondering if it would ever come. Grandma and Grandpa Roy, Grandpa and Grandma Kathie, and Oma and Opa had all left gifts for her, which have been sitting wrapped on the dresser for over a week. And this morning she got a special treat - after opening a couple of presents, getting sung to, congratulated, and a special breakfast, she got to go early to gymnastics class with her sister to play on the gym toys. They love it. They recently watched a movie about Nadia Comăneci, a Romanian gymnast who started young, and has become somewhat of a role model. It is really fun to watch them in the early stages of learning to be gymnasts, a little awkward, very cute, and makes you chuckle. Today was a great day for both of them.