Fun with Elmo.....and then some!

Okay, you can lambaste us again for delaying the posting of the second day of ElmoPalooza, but man has it been busy around the Kennedy household these days! But without further delay, here is the update you may have been waiting on!

Saturday morning the time finally arrived for the girls to begin their big adventure with Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street characters at Sesame Place. The day began with breakfast at the hotel and a ton of pent up excitement. After a short hop to the park via the hotel shuttle we quickly made our way into the park and let the fun begin!

The first stop for the girls was with Cookie Monster on Main Street. At first we thought that Savannah would not want to meet the characters due to an incident at the local Chick-Fil-A, but that's another story! Much to our surprise Savannah LOVED it! Not only did she meet Cookie Monster, but she met ALL the characters she loves from the show! But the most important meeting of the day came when Savannah saw Elmo! She ran up to Elmo and gave him a hug and was overjoyed to meet him! We had to drag her away saying "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo"! From 10 to 3 we ravaged the park from play areas to swimming pools, all without an afternoon nap! Near 3 the girls started to wear out so we decided to call it a day and head for the exit, but could not get out the gate without Ann Marie hugging her favorite character Super Grover! A short walk to the van and a quick ride back to the hotel brought everyone to their room exhausted and ready for a nap.

Later that evening we all packed it over to Chili's for dinner where we watched Jillian power down an ear of corn in a way that would have made any parent proud! After a long day the cold drinks (yes, there were adult beverages on this trip) and great food made everyone very happy! Upon returning to the hotel the girls headed for bed (all but 2!) and the adults adjourned to the hallway to share a laugh and a beer before heading to sleep.

The next morning the Zolteks met us at the hotel for breakfast and we all got to see Leah before we left for home. Seeing the girls together made everyone feel as sense of completeness as the girls seemed to not miss a beat after a year in the United States. We hope to make this a yearly event and have already started planning for next year!

Leaving Pennsylvania we decided to tag along with Terry, Amy and Jillian to visit a friend of theirs in Baltimore, MD and the National Aquarium located downtown at the Inner Harbour. After trekking down the coast with a quick stop in Turnpike Fuel Plaza for some gas and grub we made it to the Inner Harbour only to find there was a home game for the Oriels and the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament was in town! Oooopps! BIG MISTAKE! We finally found a place to park then decided to forgo the aquarium due to the long lines and just walked the harbour taking in some great jazz music, a well timed fruit smoothie and just the overall atmosphere. A good time was had by all for several hours before we had to depart for our next stop in Fredricksburg, VA for an overnight stay. Saying goodbye to our friends we headed out for Virginia and hour hotel and then a trip home on Monday.

After a quick meal and a good nights sleep the Kennedy's headed for home and some well deserved rest after a long weekend. We had a blast seeing all of our friends and making sure that the bonds we formed during our travels in China stayed fresh in our minds and the love for all of our girls stayed ingrained in our hearts.

Well, that's about all I have for now so enjoy the photos and we will see you all soon!

Till then....

Mike (What do you mean a drink is 8 dollars?), Ann Marie (I think I love Grover!), and Savannah (can we do this all again next weekend) Kennedy

Father & Daughter Basketball Game at the Hotel

Savannah and Jillian are ready to roll!

Parade of Mommies!

"Girls Gone Wild"

I think Mommy likes Grover more than Savannah does!

Like I said, that was one LONG day at Sesame Place!

This is how parents relax after a long day at Sesame Place!

The cutest girls in the world!

Visiting with Friends...

Well our journey this Memorial Day weekend started off on Thursday when we traveled to Bethesda MD to visit with our friends who recently relocated from Raleigh - Chris, Heidi and Chloe. Chloe and Savannah seemed to pick rignt up where they left off - playing and running and giggling. And the parents relaxed with a good glass of wine and some Chinese food!!! But I do believe the best thing was the night time ritual. The girls decided to take a bath together, which was absolutely precious and Savannah introduced the "soap bar" to Chloe. Then it was time to brush teeth and head off to bed.
That was when Chloe introduced Savannah to a "big girl bed." And when it finally was time to go to sleep - Chloe did not want Savannah to sleep in the other room but rather with her!! It really was cute. After a restful night, an early morning walk - we said our good byes (with promises to return for a longer time and a trip to the National Zoo), we departed for Langhorne PA and to meet up with our China travel group.

Traffic was NOT the best, as can be expected on a holiday weekend so a trip that would normally 2 hours ended up being 4 hours! But, we arrived safely and quickly met up with Zoe and Jillian's parents and the girls immediately took to playing with each other. And then, at dinner, it was time to meet with Kimmie and Elyse's families. And then the fun really began! Normally, toddlers are a little shy when first meeting new people but these girls - even after not seeing each other for a year - seemed to pick right up with no need for introductions. There seems to be an invisible bond between the girls that is just ever so special and we hope we can all keep them together for many years to come. I am sure the pictures below will speak to the fun that was had more than words can say.

But - before I sign off - we would like to pass along our condolencese to our neighbors - Dick and Mary - who lost a very dear friend - Bailey the Boxer yesterday. She was a sweet dog and always greated you with a wagging stub of a tail. She will be greatly missed by all of us! Please say "hi" to Lady Bug when you see her Bailey!

Well - enjoy the pictures and stay tuned as tomorrow we are all heading off to Sesame Street Place and see Elmo in person!!!

Michael (why is traffic stopped again), Ann Marie (what - there is a sale at Gymboree?) and Savannah (let's play!)

"Let me drive Daddy, I am sure this one gets better gas milage!"

I think that we have crossed over to the Big Girl Bed!

Moms and Daughters, what could be better?

"I'm not sleepy, are you?

This is 3 minutes after seeing each other for the first time in a year!

"Mom, are you done with that? Ahhh, never mind!"

Keep on Keeping on...

So how has everyone been since Easter? Things around the Kennedy household have been good but hectic, but that is to be expected when you have kids and two full time jobs right?

Ann Marie took a little trip across the pond to Brussels, Belgium for work and left Savannah and I at home for a few days for some father/daughter bonding. I also took a week off from work to work around the house and help my parents paint the inside of their home. Savannah and I even spent the night at Granny and PaPa's house one night which she thoroughly enjoyed due to the abundance of Sweet Tea! A good time was had by all!

I will let Ann Marie tell you a little about Belgium now....

Hi - it's me!! Belgium was fun but the best part was coming home to see Savannah waiting for me in the airport. Of course, I think she was more interested in what toy I had brought home to give her! But, back to Brussels. The history has it that the city was saved by a little boy who - yes you guessed it - took a little pee on the fuses. Hence, I have included a picture of the symbol of the city - The Manneken Pis! The funniest thing is that the little boy is seriously no larger than a small yard ornament!! Luckily the weather was beautiful and while a fair portion of the time was spent in meetings and dinners, after Ambien had worked itself out of my system, I did manage a few hours each day to do a bit of sight seeing and of course - shopping! And yes - the beer and chocolate are wonderful - hence I am back in the gym working that bit of Belgium off!! Luckily the hotel was right close to the downtown area so walking and sight seeing were easy but a few of us cheated and took a bus tour of the city. The city is very nice and the old architecture was very beautiful. It is so amazing to walk around and see old buildings and history that we lack here in the US. The trip was nice change of pace from my usual travel locations. Of course my next set of travels took me to NJ again - suffice it to say, I prefer Belgium. Looks like I've got a breather in travel plans for a bit and then a busy summer and fall time! I'll keep you all posted on where my travels take me!! Enjoy the pictures!

Some countries save their architectural history!

A good luck charm in the Square

A view from the Square

Would you trust this man to pour you a drink?


Okay, I am back now and on we go. In early May we started the birthday process when gifts arrived from the Buonanno's in New Jersey and the Maynard's in Virginia. Savannah is showing a much more keen interest in anything that is wrapped in colorful paper these days so needless to say the gifts were quickly devoured!

On Saturday the 5th we were invited to a birthday party at one of Savannah's friends from her playgroup at the Preserves. Leah was turning two as well and the party was a big hit! Of course, any house that is serving cake and ice-cream and has toys is a big hit with two year olds, but we all had a good time!

Now that's a dining room table!

Kids can take over any room in the house!

Sunday the 6th it was our turn to host a party for Savannah. We had about 10 kids and 20 adults at the Preserve's clubhouse for an Elmo themed party (go figure!) complete with a bouncy enclosure! If you do not believe that can be fun just look at the face Ann Marie is making as she exits after a little fun time with Savannah!

Want to be the cool parent? Get the bouncy room!

How many slices did you say we needed?

What a family! (no, the hats did not come in XXL!)

Kids, cake and ice-cream....does it get any better?

I will let you make your own caption for this one!

And know back to Ann Marie - after our series of birthday parties, we celebrated Mother Day and Granny and Pop-Pop's Birthdays at Michael's sister's house. The weather was nice and steaks were had by all (except Savannah who much rather prefers a hot dog). And I also just wanted to give everyone an update on what talents our genius daughter has mastered at the age of 2 - we can now count to 10 and say the alphabet (with a little bit of help), close doors (with great force), buckle herself in the front seat of the car and pushes the key in the ignition, climb the stairs, jump on the bed, goes to my hairdresser, loves to go shoe shopping and dial 911 (yes, the police have been called and have showed up thanks to our little genius).
Well, thats enough typing for now and we will let the photos do the talking for us! We cannot wait to see many of our China Travel Group at Sesame Place in Pennsylvania at the end of this month. Its our first full reunion since traveling a year ago to receive our daughters. And for those few who couldn't join us, we hope you all keep in touch via the BLOG and e-mail! Till then...

Michael (where are we going to put all this stuff), Ann Marie (window or aisle?) and Savannah (when do I get more presents?) Kennedy

Paper, paper paper.....whats with all the paper?

Welcome to the Waffle House....how would you like your eggs?

What do you mean I have to mow in the same direction as you?

2 years old and it's all about Elmo!

A child's smile is all a parent needs!

Charlotte investigates a new toy at Savannah's party.

Skylar agrees....the inside of Oreos is much better than the outside!

Someone get me some maracas!

Even Mom had the Elmo spirit!

Why cant we be Cowboys from Arizona or Pimps from Oakland? Grow up Peter Pan! (The quote is from the movie "Wedding Crashers" and the photo is of my father working hard to shed that Country Boy image!)