hearty parties, Lancaster, hikes, and Washington DC

Our time out east is winding down, so we sense that urge to hurry and fit everything in. The last few weeks were a whirlwind that included three parties to celebrate six birthdays that occurred on four days (Jason's first, then mine and Brie's on the same day, the twins,' and Tyler's):

On my birthday, Jason made my favorite breakfast of all time: huevos rancheros!

Later in the day, went walking through downtown Frederick along the river with Barb. We went into an art museum, a yarn shop and a coffee shop. Who could ask for a better set of birthday circumstances? You see here in the background one of the many spires of Frederick.

This is Shayne and Alex's first birthday. Balloon wars were a theme at all the parties.

A few weeks back, we and Barb took an overnight trip to Lancaster, Virgina where we highly enjoyed the Amish and Mennonite farms and shops and bought an assortment of delightful baked and canned goods and garden-grown vegetables. Here are we three looking out over a farm, standing in a parking lot where only moments before we witnessed a teensy Amish boy on his scooter almost get taken out by a Greyhound bus. Barb gasped. I let out an explicative. Jason thought the kid would make it, so he was calm. Maybe that's why we're both holding his hand - for sonly and husbandly comfort.

Here are two wagons in front of a horse tack shop.

Here's a hike with Trina, Brandon, and Garrett.

We had our last visit with Tyler and went antiquing in Ellicott City with Brie, and finally, took a trip on the Metro a couple days ago to the Washington Mall with Mark and Brie, where we took in three museums and the Washington Monument!