VA Visit 2010

We decided to continue our annual tradition of going down to VA for the second half of Grandma Wallace's February break this year to visit Uncle Tom, Aunt Meghan, and Will's cousins Erin and Jeffrey. Will and I got up really early Thursday morning and got the car all packed. Grandma and Grandpa Wallace came over and we loaded their stuff in the car and headed to VA. Will did excellent in the car. We made sure to plan our lunch stops around a McDonald's that had a Play Place so Will could run around for a bit. After lunch on both ways of the trip Will got to do something special; watch a DVD on our new car DVD player. We arrived in VA Thursday afternoon and just hung around Uncle Tom and Aunt Meghan's house Thursday and Friday morning. Will's cousins Erin and Jeffrey both had to go to school on Friday so Will got to spend some alone time with his Aunt and Uncle and Grandma and Grandpa. Once Erin got home from school we headed to the mall to play at a new bounce place. Then we headed over to Build a Bear, where Will built a bear and Erin built a Cat. Jeffrey recently built a bear, so he got to pick out a new outfit for his bear. It was super easy to pick out which outfit Will's bear was going to have to wear, since we were in VA and near Redskins Territory and all.

Will And Jeffrey Riding In Car Together

Aunt Meghan, Jeffrey, Uncle Tom, Erin, Me, and Will

Cousins Bouncing It Out

Throwing Balls With Uncle Tom

Jeffrey, Will, and Erin

Having Fun With Cousins

Will Picking Out His Heart For His Bear

Will Also Added a Lucky Charm To His Bear

Will Helping Fill Bear With Stuffing

Grandma Wallace Finishing Off Stuffing The Bear

Will, His New Bear Tim, And Uncle Tom

Showing Off Their Bears and Cat

Vader, Tim the Redskins Player, and Violet

Identity Theft

Young Jedis

Saturday morning the kids played around the house. Will's favorite toy of the weekend was definitely Erin's marble maze. We then took a special trip to Uncle Tom and Aunt Meghan's gym to take the kids swimming. Everyone had a great time splashing in the water. We went out to lunch afterward and Will was so tuckered out from swimming that he practically fell asleep while chewing his food.

Playing Marbles With Erin

Grandma Wallace, Erin, Will, Jeffrey, and Grandpa Wallace

Uncle Tom, Erin, Will, Aunt Meghan, and Jeffrey

Uncle Tom, Will, And Aunt Meghan

Jeffrey, Me, Will, And Erin

Getting Wet With Grandpa and Grandma Wallace

Splashing With Grandpa Wallace

Erin and Uncle Tom Swimming

Getting Grandpa Wallace Wet

Will Sound Asleep At Lunch

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at the house enjoying each other's company. Sunday morning we headed back home. We all had a great time and really enjoyed seeing everyone, and can't wait to see them all again soon. It is always so great to get the cousins together. The last time Erin and Jeffrey saw Will he was not walking yet, so they had a great time chasing each other around the house and did lots of laughing and giggling.

Happy Valentine's Day

Will In His Valentine's Shirt

We had a great Valentine's Day. It was pretty low- key but it was a fun family day. The highlight of the day for Will was making cupcakes and then enjoying one later in the day.

Spending Time With Friends

My college friend Ellee came up for a visit with her daughter Avery, who is 1 day shy of a year younger than Will. Ellee and Avery live about 2 1/2 hours away from us. We try to see each other several times a year, most of the time meeting up in Syracuse with our other college friend Julie and her son Nickolas, which is half way between our house and Ellee's house. Will and Avery played very well together and both seemed to have a great time. We took them to our favorite Hibachi Restaurant, the Tokyo, and they both get VIP treatment from our favorite waitress, May. It was great seeing them and we hope to see them again soon!

Will and Avery Playing With Will's New Lawn Mower
Avery Gave Him For His Birthday

Avery Playing With Brinley's Kong Toy

Avery and Will Sitting With Pooh and Tigger

Remarkable Rabbits

Last week was the first time that Will and I got to participate in the Class for 2 Year Olds at the Seneca Park Zoo. It is a class that is offered once a month and it is a great opportunity to introduce Will to new animals and new friends! The goal is to spark an interest in animals with your child and enable your child to feel comfortable around all different types of animals. This month's theme was Remarkable Rabbits. We got to meet Edward the Rabbit. And it was an extra special day, as daddy decided to take a vacation day, so he was able to join us. It was absolutely freezing and we had to wait 5 minutes at the front gate. We were covered in snow by the time we got to enter the zoo. The class was really cute and there were 13 children there. It started with each child telling their favorite zoo animal and then the teacher read a book about rabbits. Then the children were introduced to Edward and got a chance to pet him. Then they sang a song and did a dance, had a snack, and did a craft. We had a great time. We were definitely the only ones to brave the cold weather afterward; we walked to the end of the zoo to see the elephants. Our snow tracks were the only ones around. It was a great day and we look forward to next months
class.

Waiting For Class To Start

Storytime

Edward The Rabbit

Patiently Waiting To Meet Edward

Watching Edward's Every Move

Losing Patience

Will Loved To Pet Edward

So Soft

Getting Ready To Sing And Dance

Snack Time

Will Loved The Bug Graham Crackers

Will's 1st Juice Box

Craft Completed By Mommy
(Will Wasn't Interested In Doing Craft)

Ready To Brave The Cold And Go See The Elephants