Michigan

Juliet and I had a fun trip to Michigan.  We spent a lot of time just chilling with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Margie and Kaitlin.  Sunday was our biggest outing to the Higgins family reunion at my Uncle Mike and Aunt Chris' house in Lapeer, Michigan.

Smiling Cute

With 3rd Cousin Isobel "Izzy" looking at a frog

Kissing Kaitlin

Hanging with Grandma

The Sperns

Hike in Rock Creek Park

This afternoon we took a nice hike through the "Rocky Central Section" (according to our trusty guidebook) of Rock Creek Park. It was a bit hillier than advertised, but we got some great views of the creek and even stopped by the old stone bridge for a break and to play in the water.

A full album of photos is up here.

From Rock Creek Hike

From Rock Creek Hike

From Rock Creek Hike

From Rock Creek Hike

From Rock Creek Hike

From Rock Creek Hike

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Last weekend we went to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens - truly one of DC's hidden gems. Originally built by a Civil War veteran who dug a series of ponds on his property, it is now managed by the National Park Service and contains of the last tidal estuaries on the Anacostia river. So it's two things - a series of small ponds containing gorgeous lotus flowers, and a boardwalk / river trail around the tidal marsh.

The lotus flowers were in full bloom and we saw lots of turtles, heard lots of frogs, and even saw a goose and some brand new goslings!

From Kenilworth Gardens

From Kenilworth Gardens

From Kenilworth Gardens

Memorial Day in Ohio

So we've been a little slow on the blog posts lately - but here's a quick attempt to catch up!

At the end of May, Ben took Juliet to Ohio for a long weekend! We had a lot of fun - lots of good time with the grandparents, playing with farm animals and hanging out on the back porch.













The whole album can be found here.

Easter Afternoon - The Backyard & Beyond

After we got home and had a bite to eat, first we took a minute to dunk some baskets on her new Easter present - a basketball hoop!




Then we headed out to the backyard to play! Juliet loved helping out with the shovel! Then we got out a bucket of water and played with the cats!







And Ben managed to put in some brick edging to the vegetable garden. Here are some pictures of the garden (to compare with later in the summer)!







And then helped Mom shuck some corn and make a delicious dinner tonight!

Easter Morning - The Great Easter Egg Hunt After Church

So it was gorgeous Easter morning here - warm, the sun shining! We took a walk down to church (about 2 miles) and afterwards there was a hunt for the kids in the grass. Once she figured out the point - to pick up the plastic eggs and put them in the bag - she really got into it.

Gym Time!

So during the week Karen and Juliet went with some friends to the Prince George's County Rec Center to play with their gym equipment for little ones. Juliet loves the blocks and playing with the other kids!