Andrew at the NFL Draft

My hubby's sports writing hobby has taken a turn for the exciting - tonight he's up in NYC with VIP tickets to the NFL Draft, + press credentials! Go Andrew! He's apparently live blogging it on http://gmenhq.com but I couldn't really figure out where his updates are.

It looks like he has a pretty good seat:

Easter weekend

Nana and Pop Pop visited for Easter weekend, basically making this past one the happiest weeks Emmett can remember. Everyday he still talks about 'Grandma Debi and Apple Joe', 'Eeese and Idget', and 'Nana and Pop Pop'. We all have loved our visitors :) We took just a few photos with my parents after church at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Richmond, which is right near VCU's campus.

Then came home to a very warm and lovely day, which we spend in the garden doing an Easter egg hunt (orchestrated by Nana), followed by cocktails and relaxation during Emmett's nap, then more Easter hunts after he woke up. Loved it all!

Busch Gardens, VA

Andrew and I aren't typically the biggest fans of amusement parks - but we recently discovered that that doesn't matter at all when your kid is having a great time. We met the Ficarettas at Busch Gardens on Good Friday, a lovely theme park with remarkably well-maintained grounds, outside of Williamsburg, VA. We weren't quite sure of how Emmett would do with such a long day, also being pretty young, but - he got it! He only napped for a short time in his stroller and when he woke up, kept asking to go back to 'the party.'

Here he is on his first ride outside of the Clydesdale stable:

Riding the train:

Meeting the famous Elmo!

Riding a hot air balloon solo. Maybe not our best parenting moment? Whatever, he was really excited.

On the 'Flying Machine' ride with Daddy

The swing ride to nowhere, which was the beginning of a downward spiral...

Perking up a bit after a nap, riding with cousin Anjali

Spring in Richmond

We are enjoying a particularly beautiful Spring season here in Virginia and just wanted to share some recent pictures. A couple of weekends ago we took Emmett to his first baseball game, Richmond's minor league team - the Squirrels (or Flying Squirrels.) We had a blast - he loved it, we loved it, loved watching him, and appreciated being outside on a beautiful Sunday.

More recently, the Ficarettas came into town, and we had so much fun with them. Mommy, Emmett, Bridget and Elise went to the Children's Museum:

Then at Emmett's request, to Maymont:

And they even spent a long Monday touring VCUarts. Bridget is a talented artist and interested in pursuing Fashion Design as a major; they went further South to tour Savannah College of Art and Design, and are currently headed back to Virginia to spend a few days with Carol, Diane, Laura and Anjali in Williamsburg. Nana and Pop Pop are coming into town for Easter weekend, and beyond that, we are just spending spare time enjoying friends, our front porch, and trying to be better about keeping up with our garden this year. Love to all.

Front Porch Sittin'