In January, after we got back from
Florida, we went to the Salisbury, Maryland zoo--
yes, it was warm enough to wear
t-shirts; Ally's 8th birthday was in February
To celebrate Ally's birthday, we
held a party for her at an indoor gym for kids
Ally in the "cube pit" (instead
of a ball pit) and about to go down an inflatable slide
Also on Ally's birthday, we attended
a Fasching party (German
Mardi Gras) at Blob's Park
Joni and I were named the "Prince
and Princess of Fasching,"
sort of like being Homecoming King
and Queen; Ally won a prize for her daisy costume
Joni and me and the winners of the
Fasching costume contest
In March, Ally got to visit the
cast of "Alice in Wonderland," a play at the local high school
Also in March, Ally went on a class
trip to the Maryland Science Center
We got a dusting of snow Easter
morning (April 8th);
T-shirts in January, snow on Easter:
That's Maryland weather for you
After church, we had our relatives
over for Easter-egg hunting and dinner
Also in April, Ally's class went
on a field trip
to Washington, D.C.
In May (after Beth's
Confirmation and Ally's First Communion),
the girls went with Joni's Brownie
Scout troop on a sleepover at the
National
Aquarium at Baltimore's Inner Harbor
The girls got to see every part
of the Aquarium, include a walk over the shark tank
and playing ball with the dolphins
Starting at the beginning of June,
we spent a lot of time hanging out with my folks
(and their dogs) at their house
on the Chesapeake Bay
Also in June, the girls' ballet
group had a recital, "The Princess and the Pea." Beth danced the lead
With friends and family, my mom
celebrated her 60th birthday
We took the kids and my Aunt Waltraud
to a water park
Beth graduated from 8th grade; Ally's
class performed at an end-of-year concert
Joni took her Brownie Scouts (and
Beth, a former Girl Scout) camping
Lord only knows what we'll do
in the second
half of the year...
