This was the second year in a row that we gathered at the Farmer’s Vienna house the Saturday before Easter. Allison and Sarah were there along with Jamie and Pete and their two kids. Their older sister was there along with her husband and two kids. And Lauren and Alan were there along with their two boys. Eleven kids in all. The kids had a great time playing with one another, hunting for Easter eggs, and of course eating Easter candy! Both Justin and I had a blast too. It was just good wholesome fun…great times catching up with friends and lots of laughs, and kids who are friendly with one another and who can now truly entertain themselves! SO much FUN!!!
Here the girls are at the World War II Memorial.
We headed towards the Tidal Basin where we walked until we were fairly close to the Jefferson Memorial (a strategic decision so to be sure that was the next stop) and then we stopped for a picnic lunch that we had brought from home. 
The Cherry Blossoms bloomed early this year and were long gone as were the crowds of people. The girls were having fun with the camera.
Up next was The Jefferson Memorial. It has been YEARS since I had been there. I walked up the stairs with Avery and Emerson while Justin took the long ramp for strollers with Harper. Avery was wearing her sunglasses and I think the darkness coupled with the white flooring, threw her depth perception off to the point she was crying and shaking and wanted to leave. We hung out for a few but were pretty quick to leave – making sure they knew some basic facts about Thomas Jefferson.
Poor Emerson…her allergies, especially her eyes, had been driving her crazy. The pollen was horrible and her eyes were so itchy:(
We relaxed for a few minutes at the MLK memorial. Where’s Waldo? 
Then we walked along the Reflection Pool and made our way to the vicinity of the Washington Monument where we took an ice cream sandwich break.
Justin wanted to head back home but the girls (and me) wanted to continue as they wanted to go on the carousel. It took some nudging and promising from the girls that they wouldn’t complain (they didn’t) and we walked for about another 20 minutes to the carousel. I was afraid to let Harper go on by herself so I bought a ticket and went on the ride. As soon as it started, she didn’t want me holding on to her so I decided I too would jump on a horse. I haven’t actually had my own seat at a carousel since I was a kid….I was grinning ear to ear and Harper and Avery thought it was hilarious. Emerson was in front of us so I think she knew I was on the horse, but couldn’t really watch without turning around….which I wouldn’t let her do! 
A much needed potty break was necessary after the carousel so we headed across Constitution Avenue and made our way to the Museum of Natural History where we briefly explored the marine mammal and mammal exhibits.
Observing Harper’s ballet class during observation week. She is so cute to watch, but she easily gets distracted and forgets to do the steps at times. She also doesn’t like when another student gets too close and invades her personal space!
Watching Emerson perform her kindergarten school play “Over In the Jungle”, which by far exceeded any and every expectation I had. The students, costumes, set, music….was ALL AMAZING! Seriously, I was beyond impressed. And once again, I had to hold back from tearing up.
Observing Avery and Emerson’s ballet and tap class during observation week.
Celebrating Papa’s 67th birthday Italian style!
Celebrating meeting baby Elinor, Becca’s 4 month old daughter!
(Four kids looks good on us, doesn’t it) 🙂
Celebrating Harrison’s 2nd Birthday!
Celebrating a beautiful afternoon at Quattro Gumba Brewery with the Russos!
Celebrating the first night of Passover at my parents!
And all this before we even make a dent into the second week of April!
Quattro Gumba…or should I say Seis Gumba? It has been WAY too long since the Maddy and McMillan kids got together….sadly over a year! About a month ago, we decided on a date with the destination being either a winery or a brewery. We couldn’t have picked a better day to start off spring. After two weekends of cold weather, the weather was finally warm. With the sky being overcast, we didn’t need to worry about sunglasses or sunscreen! The brewery and winery were packed. We stayed for over four hours and the time flew bye! It was great to catch up with Robyn and Ryan and the kids had a great time playing with one another. We need to get this crew together more often!!
I mean just look at these two!
I tried to peak in the kitchen a few times and was met with resistance as they really wanted to make me proud. They told me they were making brunch so we wouldn’t have to have lunch. I managed to snap a few quick pictures on my way out.
Meanwhile Harper became bored so she decided to be Santa Clause by putting panties on her head.
An hour after Avery and Emerson started breakfast, it was ready! They had a common bowl each of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. They each had an apple cereal bar and a huge bowl of dry cereal. Avery and Harper had yogurt and Emerson some cheese. They even made me salad…arugula with raspberries on top!
We had a feast…I couldn’t be more proud of them and they couldn’t have been more proud of themselves!
Instead of a shampoo, we settled on a spray bottle to wet her hair. Once she got in the chair to get her hair cut, she did great.
It is still long…we just trimmed the ends and it looks much healthier. And afterwards…we celebrated with Dairy Queen ice cream cones!