Maryland Zoo!

This was our first trip to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and we had a blast! It's a pretty cool zoo, you can get really close to the animals, it's just big enough for a good visit before naptime!

Right before this picture, those boys had walked away and Jess and Kate had moved closer to the crocodile behind the glass (that you can't see very well, sorry). As soon as they moved to the glass, the croc lurched forward so fast and angrily with his mouth wide open that Jess and Kate jumped away like there was no glass between them. It was pretty scary. Must have been hungry for a little girl that day!

Just enjoying a hot day at the races...

I don't know how impressed others were with this, but advertising has reached a whole new level. Planes flew overhead during the race spelling "More than just car insurance, GEICO GEICO GEICO..." in puffs behind them. It was incredible how many people in the stands were NOT watching the race because this was happening, so I guess it was pretty effective.

Enjoying a nice steak cookout at Jesse's uncle's trailer while we waited for the traffic to die down around us after the race...

The aftermath of a long weekend...

NASCAR!!

Jesse and I spent the weekend in Dover for the NASCAR races a couple weekends ago (hence, the days spent with MomMom and Josh, Kim, and Evan in posts below). We decided to take Kate with us on Friday to watch the truck race as it's less crowded and we thought she might enjoy all the activity. Notice Kate caught right onto the tailgating with her red plastic cup!

Alas, it's only filled with goldfish crackers...

It was a tad hot that day, and quite loud at the track, so it took Kate some time to adjust...

MomMom was great comfort in the beginning, and we weren't quite sure how long Kate would last...

Daddy tried explaining what was going on, but must not have realized she couldn't hear anything he was saying...

Eventually, she was enjoying herself and watching the "race cars" going 'round and 'round...

But then, she realized just how fun it can be to play on bleachers...

Weekend with Ev!

Uncle Josh, Aunt Kim, and MomMom Judy were nice enough to watch Katelyn while Mommy & Daddy were at the races in Dover last weekend, and they went to the Greenwood Spring Festival for some fun. Here, Kate displays her winnings after a day of games and rides - a sweatband, water bottle, squishy toy, and bouncy ball...sweeeet

Sidewalk chalk!

Much needed bath time...

Romper room!

Interesting find on their walk through the woods (shotgun shell anyone?)...

Snack time!

Teaching Ev bad habits...

Maxing out the weight limit on the Kawasaki...

Strawberries, yum!

Coloring...

You are my sunshine!

Warming up to the camera again!

Cheese!

Thanks for visiting cousin Rachel!

Happy Mother's Day!!

New closets! Roses from our garden!

And my little girl cleaning the house for me! Ha!

Well, she tried...

Still working on her arm...

After (well, actually during) the closet making expedition, Kate and I slipped out to head up to Wilmington for my college friend Jill's baby shower. Of course Kate spent the entire time sitting on the couch next to this little one...

Then once the baby became occupied with her bottle, Kate got the goofy bug!

(She's also still very much consumed with avoiding the camera)

And I realize this is not my child, but it's my very good friend Kate's little guy Chase, and at 1 year old, he's a big boy...in fact, these were the ONLY two boys at the shower, and they hit it off right away. I just love the serious look Chase was giving Jill's uncle as he enjoyed the icing from this cupcake. He's one serious dude!

Handy-girl Kate...

So even though too much TV is bad, it's pretty cute when Kate recalls things from the shows she's watched. She found a golf pencil the other day and was trying to prop it behind her ear. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she was putting it behind her ear like Manny (as in, Handy Manny from Disney Playhouse) - so cute!

Below, part of my wonderful Mother's Day was getting new closets! We've had empty closets since we moved in, and finally found shelves/drawers that we liked, so MomMom and DadDad Judy helped build them with us over the weekend. It literally took all four adults to get these things together correctly, and even Katelyn helped speed the project along by handing DadDad screws! She's finally at the age where she doesn't get completely in the way, she has an interest in helping and there's lots of things she can actually do now. It's very rewarding to see her be excited about learning and helping us do adult things.

Cuddles!

Notice Kate's totally zoned out look. This is what our darling little girl looks like when we turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...morning...noon...and night. I never thought she'd actually sit still to watch ANYthing, and the time has finally come! We're already rationing her TV watching.

Gardening!

One of my favorite things about having a garden is watching Katelyn help her daddy tend to it. She's mostly very careful and interested, I just love that she's getting the experience of doing it.

We mostly only have radishes and spinach right now, but it's still fun to pick!