Summertime Rolls

"More watermelon please!"

Since returning from Charleston, Molly and I have been amazed at all of the new games that Mary Grace likes to play.

• She is obsessed with playing Peek-a-Boo, and once you get her started it is kind of hard to end the game.
• She loves to play catch. She will roll a ball to you, and gets really excited when you roll it back.
  
• She started crawling backwards, very slowly, but has not yet figured out how to move forward.
  
• She is getting more-and-more vocal. She has a wide range of noises that she likes to make, especially during the quieter moments of church.

We recently enjoyed a visit from Dan and Carita Stokes, who were generous enough to treat us to dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill, a Washington institution. Cousins Ian and Lara-Anne were there as well, and we had a great time seeing everyone and catching up on life. Mary Grace enjoyed being passed around and entertained while the rest of us enjoyed good food and company.

Lara came to babysit for us a few weeks ago, and Mary Grace has since become her biggest fan. You can even tell in the pictures below how excited she seems to be when she is being held by Lara.


Lara-Anne, Molly and Mary Grace.


Mary Grace and her cousins Lara-Anne and Ian.


Quality time with Lara.


Hanging out with Daddy and Uncle Dan.


Playing Peek-a-Boo.


The whole crew.


Eating her rattle.

Last weekend, we drove up to Baltimore to meet Catherine, Jamie and Mason Gregory at the Baltimore Aquarium. Even though we got there rather early, we didn't quite make the cutoff list for admission. Needless to say, the Aquarium is a very popular place. Instead of looking a the fish, we ended up walking around the Inner Harbor and going to the Body Worlds exhibit at the Maryland Science Center. While it was not quite as fun for the kids, it was extremely interesting to see the human body in such an unobstructed way. After the museum we got some lunch and just hung out by the water. Mason had just celebrated his first birthday, so he had hosted a big pool party the day before. The kids had fun "talking" to each other and banging on the lunch table. It was really cool to see them interact.


Waiting outside the Baltimore Aquarium.


Excited to see Mason!


Baltimore Inner Harbor.


Molly, Catherine and the kids.