Catching up on some family photos

We recently had the chance to spend a little time with some of my family, first when my parents visited us in October, and then when we visited my brother and his family in November.



Of course some beach time was to be had!



There were quite a few Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) feeding in the shallow water near the beach.



Elliott likes to wear daddy's shades at the beach.





Of course there was an abundance of mutual entertainment between my parents and Elliott.



Grandpa Jones was more than willing to get down to Elliott's level to play...



...and to help Elliott with his shoes!



It's unlikely that Elliott remembered being in Grandma Jones' arms at sunset on the beach from when he was only a month or so old, but Grandma certainly did.



As the light fades, the sounds of the water begin to take center stage in our awareness. It's really a nice time to relax on the beach.


We were able to spend a few days with my brother Chris, sister in law Jess, and Henry and Esther following a work trip I had to Blacksburg, Virginia.


Lions and...


tigers...


and bears, oh my! (I couldn't resist the cheesiness.)



The kids (perhaps the big kids too) enjoyed all the sights of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.



We had never seen Esther in person before, so it was very special to see her and begin getting to know her. In this photo, Esther was dancing with Daddy to a good Arcade Fire song. I have it playing as I type this, and Elliott is dancing to it! It is pretty catchy.



One morning, Chris, Henry, and I went out for a walk in a nearby park. Wildlife didn't exactly abound, but we found some earthworms under a couple logs.



It was fun to play silly games with the kids!



A homemade blueberry muffin breakfast was even more fun when shared with cousins!



I'll end with this photo that wasn't taken during any special visit time, but was just a funny moment of Elliott finding another use for his bowl of oats that he was otherwise done with.