We hadn’t made any real plans for Memorial Day, so we were delighted when our friends Pat & Theo invited us to go with them and their daughters to the National Zoo on Monday. It’s no secret that Mio loves animals, and although she’s been to the Oakland Zoo and the San Francisco Zoo, this was her first time going to the Smithsonian National Zoo! This is the zoo that I grew up going to, and boasts 163 acres which serves as a home to 2,000 animals from 400 different species. As one of the nation’s oldest zoos, it’s part of the Smithsonian and therefore doesn’t charge admission. We decided to take the Metro over to Woodley Park together, and walked to the zoo from there.
Sitting down for lunch upon arriving at the zoo.
Hungry girls! 2 year olds Mio and Anna, both April babies!
The girls on their Daddies’ shoulders.
Looking at the red panda.
Mio had such a good view!
A fishing cat resting on a branch.
The two cuties on the Asian sloth bear statue.
Mio: “CHARGE!!!”
The cutest girls at the zoo!
Male panda Tian Tian at the National Zoo, munching away on bamboo.
Female panda Mei Xiang at the National Zoo
Adorable Anna atop the red panda statue. “Sifu!!!”
Mio and I with the red panda statue.
The Asian elephants at the National Zoo. Such grand animals!
Mio and Anna walking hand in hand through the zoo.
Holding hands. I can’t handle the cuteness! They’re such sweet friends!
Mio on top of the anteater statue by the small animals exhibit.
Anna reaching up towards the statue.
Mio conked out towards the end of the afternoon at the zoo. Anna was like the Energizer Bunny and just kept going and going…
The Nguyen-Cao family, including 2 month old Cara. (She had just turned 2 months that exact day!)
Thanks for inviting us along to the zoo! We had such a great time and Mio loved seeing all the animals and spending time with Anna and Cara. 🙂
Every year on Memorial Day weekend, the community of Vienna celebrates with Viva Vienna!, a 3-day festival of amusement rides, entertainment, food, crafts, and vendors. 100% of proceeds go to charitable, community and humanitarian organizations. Growing up in this community, I have so many fun memories of attending as a child with my family, and then with my friends as a high school teenager! It’s yet another fond memory that I’m really happy I can share with Mio and Dan now that we’re back in my old ‘hood! Mio and I went two days in a row, and she had so much fun!
On Saturday, Dan was teaching a video workshop all day to the local community youth (such a great gesture on his part — so proud of him!), and our friends SunJae, Mie, and their son Kosei were visiting from Maryland so that SunJae (who is also a video editor) could assist Dan with the workshop. So Mie and I decided to take the kids to Viva Vienna! for a few hours of festival fun!
Kosei and Mio riding the merry-go-round together! Mie is pregnant with baby #2 (a girl!), due in September.
Mio going on the merry-go-round a second time. So many ponies, but this time Mio picked the freaky monkey to ride on.
They had free face-painting at the festival.
The kids are happy with their painted faces! Kosei got a spider (“Spiderman!”) and Mio got to be a kitty cat.
Mio and I really enjoyed going to the festival with Mie and Kosei on Saturday, but because Mio had so much fun there and we still wanted to go with Dan as a family (especially since it’s so close!), the three of us went again the following day on Sunday. 🙂 It was actually much more crowded on the second day, probably because the vendors (who weren’t there on Saturday) had set up all their tents down Church Street on Sunday and Monday.
Mio grabbing a hold of Dan’s chicken on a stick!
Mio nomming on the chicken skewer. You have some chicken in your teeth!
She was SO HAPPY. She enjoyed the chicken skewer so much that even when Dan and I requested to take bites in between, she wouldn’t let go of the stick and would just guide it into our mouths, before putting it back into hers. I think she ended up eating most of it!
Mio was fascinated by this “pet cool-down zone” pool they had set up. She loved watching the dogs go in and out of the water, and wouldn’t budge from the spot for about 15 minutes!
We ran into the Lee family by the carousel! Here’s Mio riding with Danny and his mommy Stephanie!
I’ve always wanted to go on the ferris wheel with Mio, but she was never allowed to go on them in California, even with her parents. We were really excited to ride it together!
The view of Viva Vienna! from the ferris wheel.
Mio bravely looking over the edge.
She really enjoyed the ride! The rides she could go on were limited due to her height, but maybe next year she’ll get to go on more!
We met up with newlywed friends Mimi and Sujay, and Xiaolu and her new adorable dog!
Mio was of course very interested in the dog. She kept pointing at its curly tail and eventually was brave enough to pet it.
It got really hot as the day progressed! Cooling down with a frozen drink on the sidewalk.
Waiting for pizza afterwards at Luciano’s! Love this smile.
“Enough pictures! Bring out the food!”
Mio staring at the huge pizza in front of her.
We had a truly memorable couple days at Viva Vienna! Festivals, carnivals, and county fairs are probably one of my favorite things about summer, and I love that now I can experience it with our little family. We’re looking forward to making more fun summer memories in the coming months and years ahead!
One of my favorite childhood memories was going to the local Friendly’s for an ice cream treat! We got to share the tradition with Mio the other day… Judging from her reactions, I think it’ll be a favorite of hers, too!
Waiting for our food. Mio was already content with her big girl cup and coloring pages.
Taking bites of some of the cheese fries…
And now for the best part: dessert!
Look at that smile!
Mio’s favorite part was the cone! She was playing with it as if it were a trumpet.
Dan watching Mio, amused.
Pure bliss! Sheer joy! Unadulterated elation! No doubt we will be back again. 🙂
Dan and I brought home a little treat for ourselves, too! The Friendly’s Watermelon Roll is a childhood favorite of mine, and it features lemon sherbet on the outside, watermelon sherbet on the inside with chocolate bits.
Mio loves to read and play with Daddy every evening after dinner, before bedtime. Here are some cute pictures and video of her playing trains with Dan.
Perhaps her favorite part of the day.
All smiles while playing with Daddy.
Sweetheart.
Mio is lucky to have such a warm and playful father who spends so much time with her! 🙂
