Memorial Day Weekend Festivities

Memorial Day Weekend was a four-day weekend for us. Friday was our 5th wedding anniversary, and so we decided to spend it at the beach with Kaitlyn!

The morning was off to a good start; Kaitlyn awoke happy and babbling. She usually is pretty happy in the mornings.

After breakfast, we made our way to First Landing State Park. They have a pretty nice beach; it is on the Chesapeake Bay so the waves are light. You are right at the mouth of the Bay so you can see the container ships as they come in.

Kaitlyn hadn't been to the beach since her October visit. This time, she had her new bathing suit on, ready to play in the surf.

It took her a few minutes to get used to the chilly water, and the waves coming and going.

Daddy and Kaitlyn stopped for a quick pose before resuming play in the water.

One of the many ships entering the Bay from the Atlantic Ocean.

At the shoreline, Kaitlyn was very interested in the various pebbles on the beach, washed down here from various locations farther up the Bay.

After examining several, she decided to taste them. Luckily she spit them out right away.

Here she has a mischievous look, thinking about trying another pebble...

It was pretty warm that day, so we made sure to stay hydrated. Kaitlyn loves her straw cup!

Playing in the sand with Daddy!

And of course, what is a holiday weekend at the beach without a plane carrying an advertisement?

There is always something interesting to spot at the beach here. We love it; there isn't a huge crowd like at the Oceanfront. And because it is on the Bay, there is so much activity on the water.

And there's always cool rocks, shells, and the occasional driftwood to admire.

It was a great day!

That afternoon, Kaitlyn tried out her new pool. She really liked it! Hopefully this will be a great way to cool off this summer. It's already scorching this early in the season!

On Sunday, we visited the Virginia Zoo. We haven't been in several years. This April the zoo opened a new area, Trail of the Tiger. We were excited to see it, and to see how Kaitlyn would react to the animals on her first zoo visit!

She was really excited to see the many kids in the zoo, and tended to focus more on them than the animals. But she did notice the larger animals as they moved about their enclosures.

The orangutans are pretty shy creatures; they sat with blankets over their heads. Hopefully in time they will warm up to their new home. We don't think Kaitlyn really noticed them.

The red panda, however, is not a shy guy. He laid in one of the trees, hanging right above the path! He's not a jumper, so he won't be escaping via the trail.

Of course Kaitlyn had to try out the water fountains. She loves water! She and her Papa splashed in them for several minutes.

 Kaitlyn did notice the giraffes; they are hard to miss!

Another new member to the zoo is a giant tortoise. This guy relaxed under the tree, eating the grass.

Kaitlyn was so excited to see all of the animals (and people!) that she finally passed out late in the day.

She missed the prairie dogs because of this, but we were able to view (and Aw!) the new babies in their habitat.

When she did finally wake up for her nap, we were able to get a picture of her with her Grandma and Papa and a giant tortoise statue.

We had a really good weekend!

Next up: Kaitlyn turns 1!