Busy Zoo

The vast array of toys and animals that Rory has amassed in her 10 short months with us (yes, 10 months as of today!) are primarily the responsibility of the women in her life ... her mommy, her grandmothers, and her aunts (although her Uncle Allen has done a great job with her baseball wardrobe). However, when her daddy gazed upon the "Busy Zoo" on a trip to "Buy Buy Baby" (it's refreshing to shop at a store that is so honest about it's commercial intentions), it was he who said: my daughter would love this toy! (Okay, let's be honest, it was the first baby toy that Rory's daddy thought he might enjoy playing with himself.) Fortunately, daddy was right, and Rory loves her "Busy Zoo".
This weekend, Rory hosted a good friend of both her daddy and mommy. Josh Proctor went to graduate school with daddy, and he was one of the friends that kept mommy company while daddy was away during his summer internship. Josh had never previously visited Washington, and so Rory gave him the grand tour. We visited all of the outdoor monuments on the Mall, and we said hello to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Hope Diamond.
Josh also gave us a wonderful excuse to gather lots of friends together. On Thursday night, we hosted several b-school friends for a BBQ on our deck. On Friday, we had drinks on the top of Hotel Washington with more friends. And on Satuday, we saw many of the sites with Vanessa (pictured here with Josh) who used to work with Tim and Sarah, and got to know Josh through a mutual friend.

Rory and Josh made fast friends (the same could not be said for Pippin and Josh, unfortunately), although Rory (as is her custom) challenged Josh to the official "stare down" competition (Rory won). We all said good bye to Josh on Sunday morning, and then Rory took her parents for a walk through Old Town.
Sunday afternoons were designed for being lazy. In this picture, Rory kicks back with her mid-afternoon bottle, while her mommy kicks back with the Sunday Post.

In the picture below, Rory enjoys a snack while lounging on her daddy's legs!