National Book Fest, 2009

We had never been to the National Book Festival before, but we will certainly be making it an annual tradition. For Rory, there were tons of hands-on activities that were designed to encourage reading. There were also appearances by some of Rory's cartoon friends, including Curious George. Rory insisted on waiting in a 15-minute line to get this hug from George.
Rory practiced spelling, she listened to stories, she designed her own book, and she ate museum food. (The festival was on the National Mall in the same space as the Fourth of July Folklife Festival.) But the highlight of the festival has to be ...
... a live appearance by Elmo! Rory insisted on sitting on her Daddy's shoulders so that she could get a better view, and she screamed like a Beatle's rock fan when he scream. Ahh, yet more glimpses of her teenage years.