The Californians Come to Visit

Last month we were so excited to have my oldest sister, Amy, and her two oldest kids (out of four) come visit from California. They had never been to DC, so we had tons of fun showing them around. I think the girls' favorite part of their trip was the snow, since the snowpocalypse had been the week before. They played in the snow every day and insisted on walking through the snow everywhere we went. The first day, we took them to see some things in DC. We had planned on walking to several monuments and memorials, but it was so cold (especially for the wimpy Californians) we ended up just doing the Washington Monument then going straight to dinner.
Sam's sister-in-law Jenn was nice enough to lend the girls some snow clothes, and when we got the loot, there was a snowsuit inside just Bria's size. Bria's cousins wore the same suit, and Bria is obsessed with it. That first day, when we went into DC, Bria threw an insane fit, because she wanted to wear only the suit-- with nothing underneath it. So, we let her (plus a diaper, of course).
The girls also loved riding the metro. I'm sure they also loved some of the horrible delays on the metro, since they were still clearing snow from the snowpocalypse. Thanks for that, Metro. You sure know how to accommodate mothers with small children. (Do you sense the sarcasm?)

We also love every time we see Amy, because she brings tons of clothes for Bria. I think 90% of Bria's wardrobe (from her entire life) has been hand-me-downs from her cousins. I'm lucky to have such a generous sister who has such great style! (Everything but the pants in this picture came from Amy.)
Amy and the girls spent most of their time here exploring the mall and the Smithsonian museums. We're lucky to live close enough that I could drive them in each morning, drop them off so Bria could nap at home, and then meet up with them during the afternoons.

Bria was in heaven with her cousins. She and Lucy (who is 6 1/2, and whom Bria calls Woosy) had so much fun playing together. They walked around the Air and Space Museum holding hands, and Lucy entertained Bria non-stop with her crazy sense of humor.

Bria and Lindsay have the same birthday! Lindsay is 8, and, much to her dismay, Bria called her "Weenie" the whole time she was here (of course, now that she's gone, Bria says "lindsay" very clearly). Lindsay is a great older cousin to Bria, and they had so much fun. Lindsay had Bria for Christmas, but they just brought their present when they came to visit so they could enjoy it together.


Amy and I are 8 years apart, and like all my sisters, we are best friends! We had so much fun staying up talking, cooking, watching 30 Rock reruns, and exploring DC-- she even got me to do her P90X workouts with her in the mornings! (even if I did them halfheartedly . . .)
We can't wait to visit them in California next time!