Off to Fort Myers, Florida tomorrow

We will be out of touch for a week, even Daddy is going to make the trip this time and 

see his old Coast Guard station!  

 Zara hopefully will be swimming in Beth's tranquil pool... 

Zara's 2nd Cherry Blossom Festival

LAST YEAR - see above,  THIS year - see below!

We met up with our friend Marice and her little "S"; we really had a nice time, it warmed up nicely and it really wasn't that busy.  We sat at the picnic tables and watched the paddle boats and planes.     Turns out they will peak tomorrow, but rain is expected so i feel really lucky to have made it down in great weather!

An Afternoon at the Construction Site

As we pull up to Grandma & Grandpa Zarr's, we see them standing shoulder deep in their dumpster!  Not dumping trash, but actually removing precious items from it!  truth be told, the rocks they were "salvaging" from themselves have been turned into a really 

nice rock wall around their flower beds.  

The Munch also felt she should be pitching in, even though she is an illegal hire due to child labor laws...she LOVED the Bobcat!

Then we all had snacks.. and Grandpa got out his Antique African Senefo Drum which he purchased in Monrovia in 1966 for BIG money back then!  

Place your bets on what it is worth. now 

Pogo Stick races!

Here is our street these past few days in the warmer weather- which sadly is gone again for a few days.. back into the upper 40's.  However the POGO STICK was such a great time, a complete throwback to my childhood!  I was even airborne for a second there!

Anyway, we had a great porch playdate and later dined al fresco with Granny & Grandpa Zarr.

A here is a little Jocelyn kinda story: 

To better understand the story take a quick look at Ella- 

the little blondie Swedish girl holding Zara in the pic above!   

Okay here goes:

This afternoon  i was talking on "Skype" (intranet video call) with Aisha in Holland!  Aisha "skyped" me since it was a special occasion!  A mutual friend, Helena, was visiting her from Stockholm, Sweden.  Helena, Aisha and I all went to school and did girl scouts together in Tunis, North Africa in 1978.  I have to say its been maybe 20 years at least since we all were on a phone call together- let alone a video call!   At any rate during the call, my doorbell rang, it was Ella (with her visiting Grandpa) coming to see if Zara was awake.  I wasn't going to open the door since i was so excited to be on the call and Zara was alseep anyway...  

So I just mentioned to Aisha and Helena, "Oh!  its the cutest little girl Ella from Sweden coming to see if zara is awake, but since she isn't.." Helena cut me off and asked

 if Ella had a younger sister to which i responded, "yes its M----!" 

 I could see Helena's expression turn to recognition and she said "OH!!..Her grandfather was my old boss in Vienna, he was the Swedish ambassador there!"  Needless to say, I rushed outside and dragged them in.. both grandfather and Ella spoke to Helena in Swedish to make the connection!  Turned out it was Ella's OTHER granddad that was Helena's old boss at the Swedish Ministry offices in Vienna, Austria.  

Aisha and I were left sitting laughing at each other!  It was amazing.. and yet so typical of us! 

Politics & Prose

"Politics & Prose" is a bookstore here that does a weekly storytime hour for kids.  I have never seen a place more PACKED, you can't go unless you are prepared to have some toddler's sticky fingers in your hair.   This week was almost relaxing since Zara got up and decided she needed to be "in the front row"- she stood with her fingers gently on the narrator's knee.  She was in awe.  Lia and Kara met us there and we actually all had a great time 

PLUS i was able to sit back and watch!    

This week we also got an chance to visit Jill's baby C!  Above is a sweet picture, sadly without the daddy, but cute nevertheless. 

We've noticed that Zara has suddenly become interested in babies.  

She wants to feed them & pet them!  My mom found my old doll from '68, almost bald- its a poor old ugly thing, but Zara has taken pity on her and we think has named her Titi!

Also, we played soccer this week at a new field in DC at Dunbar HS, it was new turf and I felt as though i was back in college- now i just gotta wish i could play that way!  Here's a shot of Lauren Vanni... after the loss... no goals for either side 'til they scored literally on the whistle.  

Zara is really saying her words

Pointing at a metro bus and saying " buuuss"- she is really coming into a world of her own!  

An afternoon together

Today was really nice:  Chrissy, Te and Te's grandma on his father's side (mom mom) came for lunch and dinner in DC!  Te seemed really good, although had the cartoon network on the whole time so was pretty focused on the TV. 

 I made a lunch and we all just looked at albums- you know, because i have so FEW!

 

 Chrissy also came with me to Zara's sick visit at our doctor's office.  It turned out to be a great experience, all the nurses and Office Managers,were although, initially taken aback, very welcoming to Chrissy.   They told us that Zara looked like both of us, it was really cute of them, Chrissy told them unsolicited that I was the "real" mom.  

The good news is also that Zara had no infections, ear or strep; HOWEVER the bad news is 

SHE IS STILL  NOT 20 LBS!  

So i guess i jumped the gun in my haste and short-lived joy to report thinking she was 21 lbs!  

 Mom-Mom was a pleasure to have over, super cheerful and very nice.  She even told me that although Zara has Chrissy lips, she had my smile.  "I told her that's because you haven't seen Matt's smile"! 

This just in!

JILL had her baby boy today .. Cooper!   

We are so excited for the new and improved Stacey family!

Our Reunion

Chrissy & Devonte drove from Kansas to Chicago, and then another twelve hours to Maryland just to  see us!   Well.... more importantly to see munchie: Kathleen Zara- and to visit with Devonte's grandmother and his Dad that both live here too.  

Today was their first day!  

Zara & I drove up to Frederick to meet them at the Hampton Inn; where I checked them in and we spent some time together in their room.  Zara had been asleep in the car so was groggy and not interested in letting anyone hold her but me... 

but she warmed up and soon was off to the races.  

Chrissy played hip hop music on her phone and Zara wouldn't let it go!    We went to dinner together at Carrabba's which was funny- since that was Zara's first restaurant experience back in Kansas when she was maybe 3 days old!  

By the end of our time together, we were all doing so well- and to prove that point let me say that Chrissy allowed Zara play with her tongue piercing!  

Te was doing well despite not having seen his mom for a year.  He was in rare form, 

very funny, and very wired!

He also was very sweet & polite to our server.   Once Te learned that our server was training another he couldn't help himself telling the new trainee, "hey, good luck on your first day!"

At one point Te asked me if I liked mozzarella sticks, and when

 I responded, "sure!" 

he said, "yeah, who doesn't".  

Then he asked me curiously "What kind of people don't like dessert, I don't understand that?"  and of course I said "me neither; makes no sense to me at all!  

Chrissy looked great, she had reddish curly hair and blue contacts in over her very green eyes, so she was quite stunning!  She snapped pictures like crazy and so did I.  

She is driving down to see us in DC tomorrow, which is great since Matt didn't get to see them today and he really wanted to.  Also, I told Chrissy she was welcome to come to Zara's doctor appointment tomorrow.  She was thrilled and agreed to come along!

 So tomorrow is another story and naturally a ton more pictures!

Flurry of events and more to come

Above the replica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.   Zara & Megan going in to see for themselves!   We had a great day and far too many pictures to display here, but i was so glad to go and see it for myself on a beautiful warm day!  

Even cherry blossoms were blooming up on the hill.  

Then i met up with my friend Jill who, believe it or not.. is having a baby tomorrow!  

She walked all the way from her home to the ice cream place AND as far as i am concerned i'm thinking she may just have that baby boy tonight!  (it had to be 2 miles roundtrip!)   

We walked past the new Bloomies and all the new condos they are building next to the metro station!  I couldn't resist taking this picture of the "changing" landscape from Gail and Megan's hotel room!

Tomorrow is another remarkable day!  

We are meeting up with Chrissie ( Zara's belly mom) who is back from GTMO, Cuba.  She drove here all the way from Kansas to see us and ALSO to see her son's, (Devonte's) Dad and grandparents who happen to live in Frederick!  I 'm getting excited to see her, it feels great to be there when Chrissie sees Zara- she is always overjoyed. 

 I hope to have some great photo's tomorrow of everyone together.

 

A special note to Aisha: Keep it up girl, you have the right attitude...we are thinking 

of you always.

She is truly fighting, everyday, for her sanity as a powerful cancer survivor

solja girl!   here is her blog http://birdsperch.blogspot.com 

Franciscan Monastery

Zara's hat & scarf that Auntie Megan actually knitted herself!  .. 

and below the "Flight to Egypt"... we went to the Franciscan Monastery here in DC which i confess i have never been to before!   We had breakfast with Gramma Rock and Megan at their hotel and then went to see the Franciscan friars...You could take as many pictures you you wanted and there were "replica's" of all the holy places in Jerusalem- all re-created exactly to the same measurements!  I found it pretty cool since i have faint memories of my trip from Cairo to Israel!

Suddenly so busy

little hip hop attitude Zara

We've been on a rampage of goings ons...

Great Birthday party for Lia-she turned one!  

Then we held a pansy planting party off our front porch, while the neighbors and I planted our flowers - evidently a sure sign of Spring fever!

Then a lovely invite to share St Patrick's day feast with Newlyweds Greg and Renee Rock- and it was a HUGE feast!

We've just had two perfect ays with Gramma Rock and Auntie Megan Rock as they came into the city to see DC in "almost cherry blossom time!"

Daring Zara

actually venturing away from "mamma" on her own

Chrissie home from Cuba

I had a long talk with Chrissie today, just home from her yearlong deployment at GTMO, Cuba.  She was thrilled to see her son, Te.  She said he has grown so big, and she texted me a pic of him as well!  She also bought a car, and is planning on driving to Chicago and then to Frederick Md, so Te can see his grandparents, and then come to DC to see us.   So if all goes well, i hope to have some pictures of Chrissie, Te and Zara soon.

Anthony and Becs are also back home from Zanzibar!  It sounds like that is one trip 

we should all take in our lifetimes!!!

...and here is the MUNCH pulling up flowers in the garden this morning.  

Zara's new love; her guitar

She certainly knows her ice cream and she certainly loves her bike rides with mommy!  She is wearing a gorgeous dress that Missy and her mom gave her!  Amazingly, the dress said it was sized for a 6 month old, but I am so excited it fits her still.

Cmon Spring!

Zara was very excited to learn that she has a new little girlfriend on our street, Baby L moved in less than a couple of months ago.  Baby L is only 7 weeks old and precious!   Marni - her mommy- took this photo and emailed it to me today!  

"The first notable snowfall of the season"!  

Today, however, was a winner hitting 65 degrees, and we are expecting the 70 degrees mark on the weekend!  So how great is that???

Ushering in Spring