The National Children's Museum

While we were in Virginia, we made a family trip to the National Harbor in Maryland.  At the National Harbor, they have a newly opened National Children's Museum.  

The National Children's Museum was too cute!  Even as you are walking up to the building, there was fun stuff on the outside to see, like Big Bird and Elmo!

Once inside, there were so many fun activities to do.  They had short skits and plays every 30 minutes for the kids.  There were lots of cultural activities, educational activities, and sensory activities, too.  And the whole family was getting in on the fun here with chalkboards to learn how to write letters in different languages.  Of course, Jillian just thought it was fun to scribble instead!

At this station, kids got to put cars down different types of pavement.  Jilly had a great time at this station, even if her car did not make it down the fastest. 

One of her favorite things to do was play at the fire truck station.  This was one of my favorites too because she looked so darn cute dressed up like a firefighter, complete with fire hat and boots!  They could turn the big steering wheel, 

press the buttons to activate the lights and sirens, 

and pet the friendly fire Dalmatian.  

In one of the craft rooms, she got to do art projects like make lion masks or use felt to make a clown. 

And to burn off some energy, they had a play area with tunnels, slides, and stairs.  

One of the last things she did was play in this "Yum Yum" lunch truck.  She would greet other people who came up to her window and say "Hello customer."  Then, she would quickly go make their order for them.  She made a lot of pretend sandwiches, regardless of what they ordered, haha!

All told, we were probably at the museum for 2 hours and there was still plenty more to see and do.  We will definitely have to take her there again next time we are in Virginia because she loved it!

After the National Children's Museum, we went down to the harbor portion and ate a delicious lunch.  Then we played on the beachy area, climbing on rocks and looking out at the water.   

 

There was even a live band playing and Jillian went and grabbed her Daddy's hands so that he could dance with her, twirl her around, and sway to the music!

We had such a great time at the National Harbor and I'm so glad that we crossed state lines to make it to this national treasure.   If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend it, and I know Jillian would, too!

Happy Father's Day to the Greatest Dads We Know

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy in the world, the father to my 2 babies!  Julian, I hope you know today and always that I will forever be grateful to you for giving me the 2 best blessings in the world!  Jillian and Bubby are so lucky to have a happy, carefree, fun-loving, hard-working Daddy like you!  We love you!

Here is a side-by-side comparison of Julian and Jillian, but these photos were taken 25 years apart.  Both were being silly, wearing Mr. Potato Head's glasses.  Jillian definitely gets this silly streak from her daddy!!!

And a very special Father's Day to our Dads, Jose and Armando!  They were great Dads to us, and are even better grandfathers to our Jilly Bear!  We love you both and wish you a very special Father's Day!

Auntie Andy's Graduation!

The time had finally come to make our way to Virginia in order to watch Julian's sister, Andrea Sofia, graduate from high school.  While Julian and I are just happy to be on vacation together, this is such a special occasion that we get to celebrate with his family.  

Andy graduated from Stone Bridge High School, Class of 2013.  She finished in the top 6% of her class and had more graduation cords than Julian and I combined!  We were so excited to gather at the Patriot Center on the George Mason campus in order to watch her walk the stage.  

Jilly was also very excited to see her "Auntie Auntie gra-choo-a-shun!"

It was a great commencement ceremony with lots of great speakers and sentimental moments.  I have to admit, I may have cried (5 times) throughout the entire thing.  While part of that was surely the pregnancy hormones, the others parts were a combination of reflection on the time I have known Andrea and remembering graduations in my life.  

It's hard to believe I have known Andrea since she was in the 5th grade, and I have seen her blossom into the intelligent, hard-working young lady she is today.  

Aside from the commencement itself, there has been plenty of time to celebrate this special time in Andrea's life.  She had a party with her friends, a family celebration, Project Graduation, and a special cake celebration with her boyfriend, Gene.  

Of course, Jillian got in on their fun, too!

Throughout it all, I have thought a lot about how quickly time flies.  In watching Julian's mom go through the roller-coaster of emotions of watching her daughter accomplish so much and prepare to leave the home, I am reminded that someday, in the not too distant future, it will be me watching my daughter accomplish the same.  It made me try just a little bit harder to sit back in the moment and appreciate the time that we have had with Jillian thus far.  I have cherished the little things about her 2-year-old self because as much as this picture captures her as a toddler, it also reminds me that in 16 years, that toddler will be a teenager and the tassel hanging from her cap will read "2029."

That alone is enough to make me cry with anticipation and pride...

Please let the time pass slowly...

And please don't ever let me forget to cherish every moment with this little girl.

Happy 4th Anniversary to us!

Wow!  Today marks four years since Julian and I said "I do" at our dream wedding!  How time flies when you are having fun!  I wanted to take a minute to reflect back on the amazing year we have had since this time last year...

Blessings from our 3rd year of marriage

All the JOY that raising this little girl brings...

From this little Jilly Bear

To this growing Jilly Bear

An unforgettable family vacation to Aruba

To turning 30

And finding out that another little blessing was on the way

Or finding out that our blessing would be a Bouncing Baby BOY!

To spending quality time as a couple (in Biloxi for Julian's Winners Circle Weekend)

This past year was a phenomenal year in our marriage, and I can't wait to see what amazing-ness our 4th year holds as we add more memories to our Roll-Acosta Life!  

We are so looking forward to our 5th wedding anniversary next year!

30 weeks!

Picture in Bubby's room before the main color goes on the wall

How far along: 30 weeks, 6 days

I look/feel: 7.5 months pregnant!  I think I have finally hit that point where my belly precedes me into a room.  I still feel great for the most part, but my mobility is definitely decreasing.  I either have to bathe with Jillian these days or hope that Julian is home and available to help.  

Bubby is: about 16 inches now so he is curled up into a little ball already.  And he is slowly packing on the pounds (and so am I)...the more weight he puts on, the stronger he gets.  This baby sits so high up that I can feel him moving into my ribs.  He's not strong enough to hurt me (yet) but strong enough to let me know that his living quarters are getting a little tight.

Julian is: busy busy busy these days.  He has been working hard on the kids rooms as they are currently a work-in-progress.  I think he has been doing a phenomenal job of keeping up the steam with a full-time job, 2 room renovations, and regular housework.  But he sure is glad we are on vacation right now.

Jillian is: an active 2 year old with a slow Mommy!  She always want to be up and down, but she is really respectful of the fact that Mommy has an ever-growing belly.  And she is so unbelievably in love with her baby brother!  She hugs him and kisses him daily, tickles him every chance she gets, and she says "Bubby, time to come out!!"  I tell her it's not quite time yet, but that he will be here soon enough!

I am craving: sweets a little more often these days.  Early on in my pregnancy, all I wanted was salty, spicy stuff now, but sweets seem to be hitting the spot lately.  

Crazy pregnancy moment of the week: Well, let's just say, I am having a hard time making the adjustment from a "girl Mommy" to a "boy Mommy."  We had our first baby shower in El Paso and as I was sorting through Bubby's new clothes, I was keeping a running tally in my mind of all the outfits that I needed matching bows for...it wasn't until I was almost done folding his clothes that I realized that I do not need to buy him bows...because he's a boy...not a girl, like Jilly...

On the To-Do List: geez, what isn't on the to-do list these days?!  The Acostas have had a lot going on, from putting the kids' rooms to buying a new car to lots of vacations!  It has been a really busy time, with no time left to blog.  But I intend to spend some time soon working to catch up on all that has been going on with us!!!