The Other Famous Rose Garden in DCWe live in a row house on an alley. We're lucky because that means we get lots of sunlight from side windows. We're also lucky because the side wall of our house has hundreds and hundreds of roses. I don't know when they were planted, or by whom, and no one exactly tends them. But by god, when they all come into bloom it is something spectacular and fragrant to behold.
Here's Tommy Breslin taking time to smell the flowers.

Thick As Thieves

Although they have their fierce moments with one another (think WWF cage matches), Henry and Loretta do manage to have a lot of fun together.

Taking in the classics...

Keeping their toy chest safe...

Scrub a dub dubbin'...

Creating chalk art installations...

Getting their shoes shined... Chillaxin at the pool...

Or just dancing to some really good music, (in this case singer-songwriter Dan Kilian).

Why yes, Loretta does have a piece of scotch tape on her nose in this clip. All the cool kids are doing it these days.

Gramma In Capital City

We were happy to have Gramma Madeline come visit in June. We had a lot of fun together, and she was a great sport during a sweltering DC heat wave.

We celebrated her arrival with an inaugural trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. It was truly an incredible, jaw-dropping place. And I ain't even all that into fish.

We took in a dolphin show which the kids LOVED...

Loretta: "Hey, is this what they call sushi?"

Memorial Day in Philly 2008

The whole fam damily (minus my folks) got together in Philadelphia over Memorial Day to relax and celebrate Miss Cora's second birthday. Here's the gang at Valley Forge, which turned out to be super-beautiful and lush.

And here is my precious, precious niece Cora talking about turning two. I have a feeling she may skip right over the terrible twos and land smack dab in the terrific twos.

Oh, and also...we're all pregnant.

Welcome To Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom

Starring my children as wild animal tamers...

Here, Loretta subdues a wild dragon into submission.
And Henry auditions to be the new Roy in Siegfried and Roy.

[click to enlarge photos]

Summer Campin ' ItFlashback to last year at this time...here was Henry on his first day of Summer Camp.

And here was Loretta on that same day.

Fast forward one whole year! Same camp, same boy, same turtle backpack.
(Thanks Aunt Estela & Uncle Tim) Click to enlarge.

And here's what Loretta did that day. Ta da! Made some cool dot art!
(she's a smidge more active than last year)

Enjoying The Arboretum A couple of weeks back, Todd and Tom took the kids to the always gorgeous U.S. National Arboretum. It is immense and fabulous, yet nearly always devoid of people.

Henry pokes around in the Anacostia River.

And my lil' sweet pea finds a sweet pea tree.

Loretta Tries On Some Cosmetics

So help me, she was left unsupervised playing with her toys for 4 minutes. I was folding laundry. I thought she was kind of quiet, so I went to check on her and found this. She had found my makeup bag, and in it, my Chanel Star Red lipstick. Click on the photo to see it in all its vivid, glamorous wonder.

"Mami, do you think this is my shade?"

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so of course I grabbed the camera.

...and that, dear friends, is the story of how I finally threw away all my makeup.

Auctions Speak Louder Than Words

During the school year, Henry attends this wonderful playschool called Amazing Life Games. Each year they have an Auction and Family Carnival Day to raise money for the school. It's been going on for decades, and has grown to be a big annual event. Againt all common sense, the school put ME in charge of the event this year.

It turned out to be the biggest project I've ever handled in my career. And maybe also the most personally rewarding. We set out to raise 15K, and wound up raising 19K! It was a tremendous learning experience, great fun and a wonderful way to bond with other ALG Families.

Here's me and my friend, the deeply talented Carolyn Chang. This was the night before the auction as we set up the space and boogied to 80's hits.

The techno dweebies setting up the computers and database for check-out.

It's never too early to teach the kids the principles of marketing.

Auction Day!

Scooptastic My parents have four grandchildren (for the moment). I would say that of these four, two are feisty firecrackers and two are mellow zensters. Up above are the two mellow yellows calmly sharing an ice cream cone.
And then a firecracker comes along. And then Sam gives all the kids Heineken. ;)

Here are Henry and Cora doing their cousinly ice cream thing on YouTube.

NOTE: NOT FOR THE GERMOPHOBIC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVCpB70Eh9c