White House Easter Egg Roll!

This was amazing - Out of thousands and thousands of people who applied for a ticket for the White House Easter Egg Roll, I was chosen! Well, our little family and 35,000 other lucky people. Needless to say, the line was quite long and security was tight. After clearing our double stroller and both kids, getting wrist bracelets, we were finally in the home stretch of the line! Both kids did surprisingly well!

After about 45 minutes in line, we finally entered the White House grounds! Immediately, we saw Zoe and a Smurf. Alexa was surprised to see characters and wanted to know if Elmo was there too. Before we could find him, we ended up at the First Lady's garden where Alexa picked up an apple. We then found a band playing kids music and danced about for a bit!

Then both kids decided to run for president. They are making history as the first ever brother-sister ticket. The only question is which one will be president and which one will be the vice president?

And wouldn't you know it, but out of the 35,000 people in attendance, we actually saw someone we knew! Marcie and Will with baby Cella Marie! I should explain that not all 35,000 people are at the White House the whole time. That number is broken down into smaller groups that enter for 2-hour increments. Our party was from 2-4 p.m.

We did not see the president, but we saw the first daughters! Alexa was confused when I told her one of them was named Malia. She said, "No, that's YOUR name." I said, "No, I'm Mommy." She wasn't too impressed. We also saw Forest Whitaker leaving the story time area. For more photos of the 2012 White House Easter Egg Roll, click HERE.

Finally, it was time to load up and head home! Both kids were tired after a long day of fun. Alexa was upset because she didn't want to leave! She reminded us that we never found Elmo and asked to go back to the White House the next day to look for him.

Upon exiting, each kid was given some Peeps and a commemorative wooden egg! Alexa was in luck because we got RED eggs - her favorite color! Pictured below.

Zoo train! Henry tries matzo!

Every time we come to the Zoo in New Jersey, the line for the train is TOO LONG! Or it's not running. So finally, we got to ride the train! It's really a simple ride, like the train ride we did for her birthday at Cabin John Park. Still, she loved it. She did not, however, love the pony ride. She thought that she wanted to go on a horse, but after we waited in line, she changed her mind. Oh well!

After the Zoo, we headed for the Ritz Diner! Alexa had fun. Henry decided to munch on matzo!

Henry's 1st Passover!

Here are my babies, all dressed up for Passover! Of course I couldn't get them in the same photo at the same time. But check out their cute outfits! Both are from Jack & Janie. Henry's was a gift and when I went to exchange a size, I found Alexa's dress on super sale! I love it! Henry is also wearing his 1st Passover bib, a hand-me-down from his sister.

Henry wore his yarmulke from his brit milah and sat on Daddy's lap. Alexa followed along in the prayer book, sort of. We went fast, thankfully! She loved the songs the best. And the food!

After dinner and desert, we tried to take a photo of GG with all her grandchildren. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly go as planned! Alexa and Henry both had meltdowns at the same time! It was a total disaster, but everyone was laughing so hard we'll always crack up when we see the photo. 

Finally, at the end of the night, we took a video of each of the grandkids asking GG a question. Henry just sat on her lap. Alexa asked GG what her favorite color is. GG said it was red, which happens to be Alexa's favorite color also. Maybe Alexa didn't want to share her favorite color, because her reaction was hysterical: She said "No! Your favorite color is NOT red. It's gray." She then pointed to GG's black and white top for proof. "See, you like gray," Alexa insisted.

Baseball kids

We drove up to New Jersey for Passover and had some fun playing around at Grandma E's house! Alexa didn't want to "pose" for a photo. But she loved playing with her brother. It's so cute to watch them. She can always make him laugh!

Oh, yes, Henry is a Happy Baby!

Daddy and his baseball babies.

Henry and Daddy

Awww, love this. I need to collect together all of my photos of Henry sleeping. He's so sweet!

Play room fun

Alexa loves her baby carrier! She also loves making sure Henry has plenty of toys to play with... Instead of giving him one toy, she tends to take ALL of his toys out and give them ALL to him. Henry doesn't mind. He cracks up at anything his big sister does!

Henry starts food!

Henry turned 6 months last week and so we pulled out the baby food! His doctor said to dive right in and mix veggies and fruit into his cereal. So... We started with peas! Henry LOVED them!

Neighborhood BBQ

Saturday was a fun-filled day with Eli and his family. Later the same day of his birthday party, we headed over to his house for a late afternoon BBQ! So it was a great time to try out Alexa's new "handle" that attaches to the stroller. She loved it!

The kids had fun playing in the yard. Alexa loved Eli's car, which is just like her car. Alexa also loved Eli's lawn mower! And that's her sitting on an egg. Ha!

My first post-baby race!

Today is the day, the day of the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler run! I have been running. As you recall from this jaunt out with Henry in the jogging stroller. But I just wasn't ready for 10 miles, so I jumped into the Cherry Blossom 5K. It was perfect. Didn't take too long yet was enough of a challenge to get my heart pumping and give me a taste of a race. I am excited run a REAL 10-Miler this Fall!

One of the nice things about the Cherry Blossom race is that it takes place downtown on the Mall. Alexa had a great time running around, checking out the Washington Monument. Her first reaction was pretty funny though. She looked up at it and exclaimed: "Ooooh! I want to knock it down!"

After the race, Alexa asked if we could go to the dinosaur museum. I was impressed that she knew it was just down the street, and since it was still so early, we agreed. Later, back at home, we all relaxed on the blanket in the back yard. What a great day!

Eli's Birthday Party!

What a fun day! We headed out for a new kids gym for Eli's 3rd Birthday Party. Here is Alexa all dressed up and ready to go. She wanted to wear her RED dress. It was a little chilly, so I grabbed this fabulous little navy sweater that Grandma E just sent her. Perfecto! Look how cute!

The party was pretty fun. Alexa's favorite toy was the pretend treadmill. Just wait until she's older and has to work out FOR REAL. She also loved the cake but was confused because she thinks every birthday party needs to have CUPCAKES. Thankfully, they did have pizza, which is the other thing she thinks every birthday party must have. Yum!

Henry's 6 Month appointment

Henry is six months old today, so off to the doctor's we went! He weighed in at 16 pounds and 1 ounce. However, since he was 15 pounds and 1 ounce at his four month appointment, his doctor was concerned that he's not gaining weight at the same pace. So, we'll be increasing his bottles and starting solids! Here is Henry at the doctor's office. My big baby is suddenly a skinny little guy!

After the doctor's appointment, I dropped off Henry at day care. Look how happy he is! Love this pic!

March Photo a Day No. 29: Feet

With a baby in the house, taking a photo of feet should be easy! Except my baby doesn't like to keep his feet still. He's always kicking! For fun, here is a look at just a few of the photos I took in search of the perfect "feet" shot:

And here is my final product... Day 29: Feet! Rubber giraffe feet made in France, aka Sophie, the most popular baby teether ever!

Happy Henry

Broke out a new outfit and had to take a photo of my happy little guy! He's so cute and cuddly!

Got to daycare just in time for the morning walk! Go, Henry, go!

Updated: Alexa's 10 Favorite Books

My office is organizing a book baby shower for a co-worker - just like the one they threw me three years ago! Anyway, it got me thinking about Alexa's favorite books. It's been a while since I updated her Top 10 Favorite Book List! So, without further ado, here are Alexa's current Top 10, in no particular order:

Alice the Fairy, by David Shannon

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, by Mo Willems

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Doggone Dogs, by Karen Beaumont

Robert the Rose Horse, by Joan Heilbroner

Put Me In The Zoo, by Robert Lopshire

Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman