Rehoboth Beach for Memorial Day weekend

We just got back from a fun weekend at Reboboth Beach. We shared a house with four other families and their kids. Of course, with that many kids there was some chaos, but aside from the kiddie mayhem, it was enjoyable. The weather was perfect all weekend: mid- to high-70s during the day, in the 60s at night, and clear skies. We had some good meals, Jane got her first taste of the beach (literally), and we tried to relax as much as we could.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Jane's First Birthday

Jane is now one year old! All the cliches about time flying and kids growing up fast have already begun to ring true -- it *is* hard to believe that it's been a whole year since she was born. It has really flown by. We had a small birthday party for her, and she had fun. She wasn't totally into the cupcake and didn't dive into it like some kids do. She studied it more than tasted it.

There are some other new developments/favorite activities that she's doing now. One thing is she loves climbing up the stairs. It always makes her happy when she gets to the top. She'll usually let out little yells. She is also pulling up all the over place and cruising as well. It looks like she is also dangerously close to standing on her own. She seems to want to do it but is not quite there yet. She's got two bottom teeth coming in, and the doctor says some teeth on the top are not too far behind. She's off the formula (yes!) and is happily eating regular food, although she doesn't like meat too much but loves her veggies -- a budding vegetarian?

Here are some pictures from her birthday party. (I've moved over to flickr.com because it's much easier, and time is a premium these days.)

Black Keys @ 9:30 Club, May 13

My thoughts on this show are mixed. I like the band, and I've now seen them three times. But every time I always think "well, that was pretty good, but not great". Dunno. I should probably stop seeing 'em. I like their records well enough. I don't love 'em though.

They definitely rock. The drummer is great to watch -- he just beats the crap out of the drums. The guitarist rocks -- he really fills up the sound (no bass). But during the set, I found myself a bit bored at times. And, I'm no master musician, but these guys definitely play on feel and not strict time -- they are not tight but super loose. The crowd was loving it, though -- sold out show. In fact, they sold out two nights at the 9:30. NPR recorded it too.

It was fun to get out, but I think I'll pass next time they come along.

Charleston for graduation

Over Mother's Day weekend, all of us (plus my brother's family, my sister, and father) drove down to Charleston, SC, for my sister's graduation from College of Charleston. We were only there for about a day and a half which made the trip a bit of blur, but we enjoyed it. The downtown area is really nice -- like a southern version of Georgetown or Annapolis. Lots of old historic buildings and trendy shopping. We drove down and back -- we broke up the ride down into two legs by staying overnight in North Carolina. We drove back in one shot though, which turned into an 11hr drive home in almost constant rain. That was pretty bad. But through it all Jane was great (and so was Liz), so everyone got home in one piece... :-)