The Tickets Are HERE!

Vacation is starting to feel more real by the day. Yesterday we received our cruise tickets in the mail!



As we get closer, we're all starting to think about it more and more. I've got a packing list started and the other night we talked about all the things that we need to do before we leave. First on the list: get a dog sitter. These guys are not going to take care of themselves for a week, that's for sure.



It's kind of hard to believe that this is the first time in 9 years living together that we'll all be out of the house at the same time. Tonight we interviewed the man who will be our dog sitter. Chase and Basil were very comfortable with him. Toute was indifferent, so it looks like the dogs will be in good hands.

Also on the to-do list: do some research on the ports of call, go over the excursions, and decide where we're eating in Seattle.

Happy Birthday to the Curtis Kids

Yesterday we went to Nick and Ella's birthday party. Nick turned 4 and Ella turned 1, so the Curtises had a the usual group of friends and family over to celebrate with lots of food, drinks and of course cake and ice cream.

There were a lot of kids, ranging in age from 4 months to teenagers, and Anastasia was a little overwhelmed at first. She spent the first half of the party watching the other kids play and hanging very close to Mommy and Daddy.



After a while, she noticed a little boy playing with a pirate ship, and decided that she would try to get in on the fun.



She also had some fun in their amazing toy room:



Eventually, she decided that she wanted to play with the toy dog. She pulled him along behind her all around the house.



Nick had a Spiderman cake and Ella had her own personal cake to make a giant mess with.



After a few of the kids left, Anastasia came a bit out of her shell and was her usual rambunctious self with the Curtis boys. Overall, it was a great party. We're hopeful that we'll have the same fun for Anastasia's party next month.

Is there a novel in her future?

Last weekend, on a trip to Target for other stuff, Orlando found a great spiral notebook for Anastasia. It's got a really cute elephant on the cover,



It's perfect for Annie, since elephant is without a doubt her favorite animal. Anastasia likes writing in her new elephant notebook. She's also very adamant about what writing utensil she uses. Yesterday, she asked for a pen and I gave her a crayon. She said "no crayon, pen". Our little one knows what she wants.

She's very precise with her writing, making scribbles that look like they are intended to be letters.

In the video below, you'll see her writing, saying part of the alphabet and also hear one of our favorite phrases from her: I ruv ooo.



Maybe she's on her way to becoming the next great writer.

Backyardigans on the very small screen

Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day in the Hitzig household. Orlando played a bit more with the new Iphone, downloading his first Itunes purchase ... an episode of The Backyardigans. The hope ws that if it played well on the Iphone (and my Ipod Touch), we'd download as many episodes as we could before we leave for the cruise so Anastasia could stay entertained on the flight and quiet times on the cruise.

It worked, and she was mesmerized!



Later, we went to the new National Harbor in Prince Georges County. It has a very pretty view of the river, but at the moment, with most of it still under construction, it leaves a lot to be desired as a destination. Our goal was simply to have a drink by the water before coming back home for a nice dinner of barbeque'd chicken. Unfortunately, only one restaurant was really open, and the hotel bar was also closed. I guess there were some restaurants in the convention center, but from where we'd parked, that would have been a very long walk.

In the end, we decided to go to Union Station and have a drink at B. Smiths. It was a very good choice, with well made drinks by a very nice bartender. I'm glad we didn't try to stay at the chain restaurant that was packed to the gills.

Pools and Parties

There was a lot going on today. After an early morning, and naps for everyone in the house, Anastasia and I went to the indoor swimming pool for a little play in the water. Unfortunately, Daddy had to work, but maybe next time he'll be able to join us.

At first, Annie was hesitant and not really keen on getting in. After a little while, she seemed to start getting more confident around the water. She wasn't keen on water that was deeper than about her knees, but she loved the fountains at the edge of the pool.



This was the only picture I was able to take of her in the pool. It turns out that you're not allowed to take pictures in the pool area. Strange rule, but I'm glad that the one picture I was able to take turned out pretty nice.

We left the swimming pool after about an hour. Anastasia really wanted to stay longer, but we had a party to get to later. We'll definitely go back. The pool was fun and she loved it.

When we got home and out of our bathing suits, Anastasia decided it was time to play "mommy".



She loves walking around in my shoes, and with the soda and cell phone, it was a very funny moment.



The day's next event was a housewarming party for our friends Abby and Nick. They built a new house last year and have finally gotten around to having their first party. Annie and I were, predictably, the first to arrive, but that meant that we got a little while alone with Abby, Nick and their little dog, Roxy. Roxy was pretty scared with all the new people in the house, but eventually she took a treat from Anastasia. Thanks to Nick for helping Roxy to be calm near Anastasia.



We got home about 9:00 and though she said she wasn't tired, Anastasia fell asleep in just a few minutes. All in all, it was a very fun day.

Orlando's New Toy

Several weeks ago, Orlando dropped his cell phone and the screen cracked. It still worked, so he was content to live with it, but deep down, I know the crack really bothered him. Then, Apple announced the new IPhone and it was all he could think about.

"Just think how cool it would be to have it with us on our trip, we could use the GPS feature to see where we are," he would say. Or he would point out how great it would be to have Annie's favorite television show at the ready for when we're flying.

Yesterday, he finally got it! We'd tried a couple of times, but the stores ran out before it was our turn, so you can imagine how excited he was to bring it home last night.



As you might imagine, he spent a while setting up his new phone and playing with it.

Look who's talking now!

In the last few weeks, language has really started to click with Anastasia.




She's been saying friends' names for a while, and doing a lot of sign language, but it's only in the last few weeks that she's started to use more than one word at a time.

I'll have more video of her talking in the next few days.