Past UPDATE: Elli turned 2 & Fun with Aunt Jenny and Friends

Elliana's birthday! 

Our little Elli loves princesses and she loves helping me cook.  So I thought, why not let making the cupcakes be a special part of her birthday.  We had such a fun time making them and then we invited over Tyson and Diana and some of our favorite cousins: Alexis, Logan, and Sawyer.  

We all had a great time decorating and especially eating our purpled icing cupcakes with sprinkles.  Elli pulled out her hair ties so she looks quite disheveled but she is happy, and for a two year old, that's enough.

Sawyer didn't want icing on his- funny boy!    Alexis enjoyed her icing thouroughly.

Thanks for sharing our birthday fun guys!

Jenny came into town that night, and it was so fun to have her here.  She brought fun gifts from her and  my parents.  She was pretty excited about her new microwave and pretend food to cook and play with. She got some great books from Jenny too which have now started to be some of her favorites!

Jenny stayed for the week and was so awesome to help me with some packing and organizing since we were putting our house on the market.  We did get to do a few fun things though.  

Todd watched the girls for half the day and night so Jenny and I could spend some time downtown seeing the sites and monuments.  We ended the night at the International spy museum doing this cool interactive mission.  It was lots of fun: Patriotic singing as we walk toward Lincoln ring a bell Jenny?

Museums!

Video game exhibit

 Monuments! (The new Martin Luther King Monument)

Whitehouse!

                                                  

We also took Jenny to the Reston Zoo where we got to feed baby lambs, and big sheep. 

Next,  we went on a wagon tractor ride. Elli introduced Jenny to this Eland Antelope who really wanted their food pellets.

They both were laughing so much as the antelope was really going for those pellets and/or Jenny.

 Elli was pretty brave about putting her hand up to feed the animals.  Jenny not so much.

We saw the watusi from a distance this time, but on our last trip to the zoo, they came right up to the wagon too.  Watusi are pretty much huge wild cows and their horns can span 6-10 feet and actually regulate their body temperature in the heat.

 Ostrich pecking at the cup, beware of your fingers getting anywhere near his aggressive beak!

Feeding llamas- so fun!

And little Sienna just taking it all in.

It was so nice to spend some extra time with Jenny.  I felt very grateful that she would take time to come and visit us and even help out so much.  I love you Jenny! 

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While we are talking about the reston zoo, here are some pictures from our last visit to the reston zoo with our good friends Hailey and Eliza Cuddeback.  I'm a big fan of their mom too. :)  

It was Elli's actual birthday this day.

Forever Best friends- Elli just loved holding both of their hands. 

 Elli still talks about them periodically and says she want to go play with Ailey and Iza.

 And since I have no post really for these other pics- they seem to fit well enough here...

D.C. Zoo Visit : this huge gorilla was fascinating to watch because he was really active.  When he bounded across the who perserve area in seconds it was quite intimidating.

Love our D.C. Panda

K that's it for now!