A Final Visit to Richmond

At the end of May, Bria and I made one final trek down to Richmond to visit my friend Jenna. They just finished medical school and moved for residency, so I wanted to say a final farewell. Jenna and I have been friends since we were 13, and it was nice to be able to see each other every couple of months while we both lived in Virginia.
We stopped by the great children's museum in Richmond, and the girls had a blast. Of course Bria just wanted to sit and color, much to the chagrin of Siena.But we successfully steered Bria away from the crayons after awhile so they could play.
I'm not sure why I was surprised we couldn't get the girls to pose perfectly for this shot.
Apparently they didn't get how funny this could have been.
Although, I can't really blame them, since I couldn't position myself correctly either. Siena was only a couple of months old when we moved here, and this was the first time she and Bria have really, truly played together. It was so fun to watch them interact, and I know Bria loved it (she's still talking about it).

To the beach!

The first weekend in June we decided a trip to the beach was necessary. We packed up some snacks and returned to the Chesapeake. About 45 minutes from our house, the tiny Maryland town seems worlds away from DC. The beach is short and small, but it feels private and secluded-- tucked back in a neighborhood and across the street from an elementary school. (unfortunately you have to pay to enter the beach. we're on the lookout for a nearby beach that's also free.)The water is incredibly shallow, which makes for kid-friendly ocean time. Open water freaks me out, so Sam spent the day wading with Bria. Bria dug in the sand and made friends with other beach-goers. The weather was perfect-- very warm, but not hot, with an occasional light breeze.
After about four hours, we packed up and headed home. Bria fell asleep within minutes, with a chip dangling from her mouth, clutching the bag with a death grip. (seriously, I tried to get the bag of chips from her about 10 times during the drive.)
A perfect, short beach trip was just the trick to rejuvenate us (plus no jellyfish like last year!). I'm hoping we can find time for a couple more quick trips this summer.