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After the big zoo trip, the rest of our cousin fun was smaller and more local. Sunday we went to church, then headed home for some lunch. After lunch, the girls showed Emmie how much fun sledding in warm weather can be when you have a steep enough hill.

Sunday afternoon was beautiful, so we headed to one of the many local playgrounds (this one at Centennial Park) to go to the playground.

After playing outside, we opted for to cool down with a sweet treat. Rita’s Italian ice and custard were perfect.

Thanks for coming to visit us! We look forward to seeing you guys this summer.

Cousins came to visit for the weekend, and we decided to show them the fun that is the National Zoo. Emmie was excited to enjoy the beautiful day with her cousins at this fantastic (and free) zoo.

We started checking out the big cats. A bunch of lions were out chilling.

Here are a few of the lions they were watching.

They checked out the turtles, as we have done before.

We took a break for a snack in the sea lion show seats (they had no shows that afternoon, sadly).

JJ, an expert snacker.

Molly helped Emmie cool off.

We walked up to the elephant outpost at the bottom of the hill, which can be an excellent place to see the elephants up close. Sadly, they were hanging out at the top of this hill. But JJ managed to get a view of them from afar. We got to see them closer later, after hiking up the hill.

As we got up to the top side of the zoo, JJ spotted the giant stuffed panda at the Friends of the National Zoo booth. They were nice enough to let him hold it for a second.

We made it all the way to the top to the front entrance on Connecticut Avenue to take a picture in the zoo sign, as we have done before.

On the walk back down, we stopped into the gift shop and the kids each got a souvenir. Leah liked the lions so much, she got one of her own.

All the kids did great with all the walking (between 4 and 5 miles, according to my pedometer), but occasionally got some help. JJ got a ride on Aunt Jen as we headed down hill back to our cars.

As always, the zoo was lots of fun for all involved. We look forward to more visits to come.

Like last year, Leah’s preschool had an art show for us to come and see. Here’s Leah next to her first piece - Self portrait: then and now.

Earthscape/moonscape

This next one is a Native American Tale. The description as written:

Leah and Molly were by the water. A bear chased after us. We ran on the path to our camp. We climbed rocks and built another camp. It was day.

For their bodies in motion section, each kid was photographed showing some sort of motion. Leah decided to do a bridge for gymnastics.

After the show, they had a meeting for the parents. Most of the kids decided the playground was more fun, even if some of the things there were a bit too small for Molly to fit.

Great job, Leah!

Last week was a milestone week for the girls in karate. Leah had a stripe ceremony, and Molly tested to get her yellow belt. This followed the same template as last time, so it wasn’t quite as scary this time around.

First up, Leah’s stripe ceremony. Here she is leading the class in their initial chant.

Leah and Serena demonstrated 10 point, where they take turns striking (without making contact).

Here’s Leah receiving her teamwork stripe.

Leah also got a medal for perfect attendance, and a certificate of completion.

After Leah’s stripe ceremony, it was time for Molly’s belt test. I managed to get a lot more shots this time, though they still have reflections as I had to shoot through 2 sets of plexiglass.

Here she is as the test is about to begin. Molly is ready to go.

Her strength was tested.

Sensei tested their abdominal strength by walking on them. Yes, it’s very odd to watch an adult step on your child.

Molly continues to love sparring. She’s starting to get better at it, too.

As the girls lined up to receive their new belts, Molly was so excited she couldn’t contain herself. It was so noticeable that we had other parents commenting to us about it.

Here it comes.

Bow to show respect.

After bowing to show respect, jump up and down to show excitement.

And hug

Leah wants to make sure you don’t miss the fact that she got a medal.

OK, now a straight one.

Like her sister before her, Leah got to experience the fun of a planetarium in the middle of her preschool classroom. And, as with her sister before her, I got to be there for the fun. It’s a giant inflatable dome (that is slightly too big for the room as it smooshes into the ceiling) that serves as a planetarium.

Leah watched in wonder and loved the show. She’s so into space now, she says she wants a space-themed birthday party. It was so dark that it was hard to get a picture, so I waited until our spaceship had landed back on Earth where it was a bit brighter to take this one.

We’ve had some fantastic weather lately. I’ve meant to take the sleds off the porch (where they live for the winter), but have not gotten to that. Yesterday, the girls decided that they didn’t need snow to sled. They climbed in one and tried to slide, but of course went nowhere. Then they discovered that if one of them pulled down the hill, they could move pretty well.

They naturally took turns pulling/riding. Here Leah has adopted a more aerodynamic pose in order to speed things along.

On our third attempt to do some bike riding this Spring, we finally got a perfect day. Leah took advantage of it and was riding her bike without training wheels in no time. Great job, Leah!

Here she is in action. This video shows a bit of her progression after she started to get it.

In the beginning, I would run alongside her in case she started to fall, but it didn’t take her long to decide she wanted to do it on her own. She was happy to get a little help to start (which Jen gave her here), but then the parent had to stay put while she zoomed around.

It was a great day of bike riding. We can’t wait to do it again.

Both of the girls’ choirs joined the adult choir to sing on Palm Sunday. Sadly, I only managed to get video of Leah as Molly was hidden from view. But I'm sure you can pick out her voice among all of them ;)

The day after Molly’s birthday, Molly and Leah headed out to their first sleepover with friends away from home. They went to the home of their long time (their entire lives) friends Allison and Rachel. They did great - so well that we didn’t even hear from them until Jen picked them up the next morning. They can’t wait to do it again.

Our church had an Easter Egg-stravaganza the week before Easter, including lots of fun. There were a couple of moon bounces, face painting, a lot of crafts, cookie decorating, and more.

Upon arrival, the girls went straight to the face painting. Leah opted to have an egg painted on her arm rather than her face.

And Molly chose to have a bunny painted on her cheek.

And here are the results (for a bit).

Then Molly decided she wanted her other cheek done as well, so she headed back for another round. This time - a butterfly.

Of course, there was an Easter Egg Hunt. Leah was in the preschool area, while Molly went to the second/third grade area.

Full baskets and bunny ear crafts on their heads serve as evidence of a fun afternoon.