Lobweek

Nora's Vaseline Adventure

2011-03-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Maybe you remember this posting from 2009.

Everything is cyclical.
This time around, I found Nora on the dresser helping herself to the Vaseline. She was trying to use it as directed, she was just a little heavy-handed.

Girls in a Basket. Or, Why Not?

2011-02-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Doesn't it always happen:

Just when you find a quiet place to get away...

Someone comes along to spoil it.

First Snow of 2011

2011-01-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

We finally had one of those snows that comes on suddenly and gets deep quick. Between 4:30 and 5:30, things quickly got bad and Aaron's 45 minute commute turned into a 6 hour adventure (we have heard stories of longer trips, as well as those of folks totally stuck for the night). The colleague he offered to deliver to his car rather than have him ride the metro was Aaron's captive for the night, as the only routes around stuck traffic led them further and further from the lot. Don't ask us about our Subaru unless you're ready to be talked into buying one. We love our car!

The street in front of our house. We only lost power late that night. It took a week for us to dig out our trashcans because the plows kept covering them up.

Towards our neighbor's back yard.

Poor Charlie! (our backyard snail-type sculpture)
As always, watching the snow fall while (eating marshmallows) drinking hot chocolate.
Of course wet, heavy snow is the best type to play in.

Nora's Two!

2011-01-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Fairfax 2010

2010-12-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to stay home for Christmas. We planned a trip to Boone just a week or so before, and had a trip to the beach planned for right after. We wanted the girls to be able to get up, come downstairs, and see their stockings. It was great.

But there was a lot of prep...
Addie started by making ornaments at her preschool.
Then she and Aaron got to work lighting up our little tree. Our neighborhood is kind of crazy for their lights. It was fun to drive around in the evenings and take inventory.

Then we got busy working on the tree. The girls were a big help.

We exchanged some gifts with friends John, Ashley, and Katherine.
The day before Christmas Eve we were invited to join the Benners at their farm for a dessert party after their church service. It was a beautiful small church candlelight service. All 3 of their boys performed! At the dessert party, Addie spent the whole time at the gingerbread cookie decorating table that Krissy cleverly set up. The next morning, Christmas Eve, we enjoyed relaxing together before heading home to our Christmas Eve service.

After the service on Christmas Eve, Addie helped me hang the stockings and assemble a little platter for Santa and his reindeer. She drew a festive picture to commemorate the moment.
Santa got cookies and milk while his reindeer got a carrot and oats. We hear they like those things.
Christmas morning, the girls seemed genuinely surprised to find their stockings full, with extra toys underneath.
Oh, stocking stuff.
The girls played with toys before our pancake breakfast without realizing there were presents downstairs under the tree!
Look! Dad gave us some hats!

Pre-Christmas Boone Trip

2010-12-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in Boone! Though we were a little too early to celebrate Christmas, it was everywhere and the girls were excited.
There was also a lot of watching this week:

-Watching themselves brush teeth in the mirror (our mirror at home is too high for them to see).- Watching (well, searching) Gammie's special "I spy" quilt.
-Us watching the girls at their cutest.
-Watching Cars (which they LOVE and got for Christmas just a week later). They wedged themselves between the cushions of the couch to watch.
-We watched - and watched for - deer, who make pretty regular appearances at Gammie and Band-dad's.

We were able to visit with the Valentines, Grandma and Granddaddy, the Tumblestons, and even a 10 minute stop-in with (the other) Sarah McKethan and Patrick.
It was a great trip. Short, with a lot squeezed in.

Addie's First School Concert

2010-12-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

Addie's preschool had a Christmas Concert
There wasn't much to it... just a few Sunday School songs (and one song about the foods animals eat), but it was enough to make Aaron and Sarah a little teary - even though Addie didn't sing for the majority of the concert. She stood as she is pictured here: looking around, often with her finger near her mouth.
We know she knew the songs because she had sung them at home. But I guess her first time on stage didn't thrill her enough to join in.

Matching Sisters

2010-11-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

Grammy and Granddad come for a visit

2010-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

We did our favorite things:
Sit around together and visit and eat. In particular it was Granddad's birthday, so we shared pumpkin pie. He's more of a 'birthday steak' than a 'birthday cake' kind of guy.

On Saturday we headed back to Eastern Market for some walking, shopping, and general getting out. But this time, we didn't go home empty-handed. In addition to a few Christmas gifts, look who came home with us!Our purple friend was still there - this time we couldn't leave him. Addie named him Charlie. Granddad carried him to the car and got some funny reactions on the way. He was followed by Grammy who carried a 6ft bundle of decorative plant called Bittersweet. In addition to our red double-decker stroller, we were quite a parade.
Grammy and Sarah got out to a movie which has become a fun tradition for them, and the boys went to our favorite grocery store (their favorite kind of adventure).
Grammy and Granddad could only stay for the weekend, but it was a full one. We can't wait to host them again!

Big weekend in the city

2010-11-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

It has been pretty rare that we as a whole family go into DC. We call it "going into the city," as if we live out in the back woods. But today we piled in the van and headed East. Specifically, to Eastern Market. We tasted homemade mustards, pickles, and pretzels which are unreal they're so good.
We saw tchotchskys carved, pressed, knitted, glued, and painted that sparkled, made noise, inspired, or just took up space.

Addie, obviously a fan of color, was right at home.

We saw a cool little dude that we all ended up loving. Bug? Snail? Bird-type thing? We don't know but we hung around him for a few minutes and smiled.
We walked the neighborhood and stopped at a coffee shop where we all got a treat. Some of the best coffee in the city - not just according to Aaron.
The day kept getting colder, but we still swung by the zoo.
Though we had a hard time finding any animals (here we can see the cheetah) - seems like they were all inside or not even at the zoo for some reason - we did meet up with our fun friends the Maynards.We hung around as long as we could stand it (it was COLD!) Then headed back home for pizza dinner and bed. Big day!

Halloween!

2010-10-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

Addie wanted to be Kai-Lan, her favorite cartoon character. Nora was Hoho - Kai-Lan's little white monkey friend. And Aaron was Yeye - Kai-Lan's grandfather, hence the powdered hair.

We were joined this year by our dear friend and neighbor, pirate Katherine. She helped the girls trick-or-treat and then sort the booty.

It was all fun and games (literally) until some pretty scary kids came to the door and Addie decided she was done with Halloween. Hopefully she'll forget the fright so she can enjoy next year.

Pumpkin Carv-- er, Decorating.

2010-10-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Valentine Visit to the Farm and American History Museum

2010-10-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

When the Valentines come, we try to keep things interesting. This visit, we explored the newly-renovated Museum of American History. The Valentine girls are gaga for Revolutionary America, so they got to see some really neat things like the star-spangled banner and the first ladies' dresses.

The hands-on area was more Addie's speed - she built, adjusted, leveled, lifted, and observed.

We also swung by a small farm near our house that the girls loved. Animals everywhere! and plenty of space to run.

Of course, any time Bekah and Sarah get together, there will be sweets...

Aaron and Sarah in New Orleans

2010-10-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Audrey and Brooke Sleep Over!

2010-09-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Addie's and Nora's BFFs came over for a sleepover while Aaron was traveling. We had popcorn, read books, played games, watched TV, and had a great time.

The girls took a while to settle down to sleep, but eventually they got it together.

We have a new kitchen!

2010-09-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

We planned a trip to the beach to allow time for our contractor to do his thing. Though it was more stressful than we hoped, and took longer than we planned for, we are really pleased with how it turned out (and that our guy stuck to our budget like glue).

Here's the before:
One set of cabinets, no dishwasher, old stove, AWFUL counters (maybe original to our 1952 house)

Here's the after:
Dishwasher! New stove! Cabinets, cabinets, and more cabinets! Counters that can be cleaned well and look clean!

We'll paint soon, and hope to get new floors sometime next Spring.

Addie starts preschool

2010-09-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

It's official - Addie has started her educational journey.
Four days a week at a church a few minutes away...

The front stoop of our house before we rushed to get to the orientation at 8, only to realize it wasn't until 11. Hm. Mom's fault.

Who wants to go to preschool?

Walking right in.

She found her little cubby. Her starfish happened to be her favorite color! That made her happy.

Right at home after just minutes.

That isn't a hand in the mouth indicating anxiety. She's holding a sucker. Actually there were no tears (by either party) except when, having discovered we were way to early and got in the car to leave, Addie was upset because she wanted to go to school and thought she wasn't getting to.
She's so big!

Official summer vacation to OKI

2010-08-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

We are so fortunate to have Aaron's parents living at Oak Island, NC. It's a beautiful, classic NC beach where Aaron and Sarah both grew up visiting. This summer we were able to spend a little bit more time visiting - two weeks.

We ate muscadines and scollops, napped, celebrated Grammy's (Aaron's mom) birthday a whole week, went to farmer's markets, rode ferries, and bathed in the outdoor shower.

Love those NC beaches and piers.

Aaron had the chance to go deep-sea fishing with his cousin. He and Addie present the dolphin that Aaron reeled in.

Nora loved her hat. She picked it in the store and wore it all summer. She pretty much sat in Grammy's lap at the beach. Grammy had snacks.

Addie on the other hand was busy, busy building, digging, or 'cooking.'

We took the ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher to see the aquarium.

Sweet Nora on the ferry.

The girls loved every little part of the aquarium.

Outside the NC Aquarium.

Addie shows Granny some of the shells she picked up.

Nora loves the beach!

The Valentines for a day

2010-08-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

Bekah and her kiddos drove down from MD to visit for the day - unfortunately the outrageous rainstorm knocked out the power. The girls got creative in their activites. Sarah and Bekah got creative with dinner: off to Chick-Fil-A so the kids could expend that cooped-up energy.

Coloring by lamplight in the evening.

Silly faces

The youngest: Jenna's 3, Nora's 19 months, and Silas is 7 months.

Pack&Play faces

2010-08-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Definitely deserves its own posting.

E = m c 2

2010-08-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Where m = mealtime and c = children.
E must then equal 'entertainment necessary.'

(Yes, Addie can successfully and with confidence operate the iPhone)

Nora can climb

2010-07-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Silence is not a good sign when kids are involved. I remeber sounds of Nora playing with toys. A minute later, I didn't hear anything. I peeked around the corner from the kitchen to see this:

Yes, that is the dining table. Yes, that is salt.

I relayed the event to Aaron who asked, "gracious, what did you do?"

I answered, "I took a picture, of course."

We now keep the dining chairs pushed in all the way, all the time.

Sister Fun - June and July

2010-07-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

There were so many fun things happening for the girls this summer. Parks and playgrounds abound, but sometimes hanging around at home can be just as entertaining.

New tradition - the slurp'n'stroll. A favorite outing on hot summer evenings, just a few blocks from the house. Is it a bad thing that Nora's very limited vocabulary includes 'Slurpee?'
Addie and friend Cora check out a peacock at a nearby farm. Addie made peacock sounds for the next two days.

Flowers from the yard.

Who knew simple things like scarves and mirrors could keep toddlers busy for so long?

After a picnic at the playground near our house.

After much wiggling, she finally fell asleep. And she slept hard.

Of course, Target can be a fun outing.

What you can't see in the picture below is the piece of pizza in Addie's left hand. Pizza, bathing suits, coloring all at the same time - now that's a playdate.

Oh my.

Clemyjontri - the biggest, baddest, hottest playground in the area.
Addie's steed at Clemyjontri is named 'Pony Boy.' She picks him every time.
Mom's sunglasses. Big is the trend.

Rachel's Birthday

2010-07-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sarah - with much help from Aaron watching the girls - was able to spend the day in Durham helping pull off a pretty serious set of surprise parties (that's right - plural) for Rachel's birthday. Precious Rachel! It was so special to be able to support our friend.

First was lunch at the Weathervane in Chapel Hill with a few friends - some of whom Rachel hadn't seen in a really long time.
Then an unsuspecting Rachel was surprised at her own house after lunch by even more friends for a dessert reception. Those that couldn't make it sent notes and photos. Everything was organized by super-husband Doug.

We love these guys! Happy birthday, friend!

Mount Vernon with the Valentines

2010-07-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sarah's sister's in-laws live near Baltimore. Which means they live near us. Which means we jump on opportunities to see Bekah, Mark, and their 3 any time they're visiting MD. On this particular day, we all met at the home of George Washington - Mount Vernon.

Sarah loves Mt Vernon and was glad for the opportunity to see family and dabble in early American history. Concerns about how interested Addie would be quickly subsided when the girl cousins started chirping about how excited they were to be there. They're big fans of a movie about the Revolution called 'Liberty's Kids.'Their enthusiasm was only powerful enough to interest just Addie, however. Nora remained pretty unimpressed. But the weather was beautiful and there was lots to explore.

Three blue-eyeds waiting a turn to see inside the mansion.

Michaela studies Martha Washington's ensemble.

Kit Valentine helps Addie and Michaela peek in on one of the outbuildings.

Boone-bound for the G's birthday

2010-07-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

The whole Lawrence family congregated to celebrate the 90th birthdays of both Grandma and Granddad. That allowed for some rare chances for the three sisters and their families to get together, too.

(Almost) all the Jack Jr. grandkids.

Gammie and some grandgirls. Front porch swing - bonding place of choice.

Nora and Aria say 'back off!'

Grandma is so great! Happy 90th! Hard to believe. When asked how old she is, Grandma has always replied "old enough to be your Grandma!" Well, Grandma, the cat's out of the bag.

Kid tracks

2010-07-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

We try our hardest to not let crumbs, spills, and grime overtake the house. And obviously with two little ones it's a constant battle. Kids are in the house, though, so there is evidence of them. Take for example these cream cheese handprints, courtesy of Nora.

Don't worry, she was under supervision - this is the only damage.

Katherine's first birthday!

2010-07-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

We were able to celebrate with John and Ashley for cutie Katherine's first birthday party. It has been such a treat living close by our college friends. We've seen their girl grow into a happy little toddler who always seems content. She had a pretty impressive frozen custard cake and got some water toy gifts. She's so sweet!

A Sperryville Fourth

2010-07-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Benners hosted us at their farm for an all-American, small-town Fourth celebration. Mountain views, campaigning politicians, local BBQ, an antique tractor show, and - of course - fireworks. (Nora called them bubbles and refused that I cover her ears.)
Don't miss the post of Addie and the youngest Benner dancing!

A Sperryville Fourth (Dance Remix)

2010-07-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

First Daddy-Daughter Backyard Camping

2010-07-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

Addie was beside herself all weekend as we picked out a tent and little supplies and got things set up.

Addie might have had more fun zipping and unzipping the tent for hours preceding the event, than actually sleeping in the tent.

Nora will be able to participate in a year or two. But she enjoyed all of the pre-camping events like setting up the tent and then going in the tent to zip it closed, dancing, saying 'hi' through the screens, then going back out.

And she of course helped with the smores. What's camping without smores - even if they are made and eaten in the house?

Addie loved camping and turned her little lantern on and off many, many times before finally going to sleep. Aaron and Addie both woke up with the sun and came right inside to watch cartoons while Sarah and Nora slept in their beds like sane people.

Addie's first ballet class

2010-06-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

Twinkle toes is dressed and ready to go.

The 8-session course introduced her to the importance of stretching

and some ballet basics like the bar. Actually, Addie's favorite was the train dance, which isn't a basic that I'm familiar with.

A very special day calls for a very special treat -
super-sized brownie at Victoria's Cakery.

The Jacksons Visit!

2010-06-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

I think Nora might have liked the Thai soup her uncle Andy made.

Azrael and Addie got in each other's heads somehow.

The kids got in some pool time.

They ended the day gripped by an episode of the Backyardigans.

Father's Day

2010-06-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

What happens on Father's Day?

Daddy gives gifts, of course!

We tried to honor Aaron on his special day, but he woke with two thoughts:

I want to give Addie a bike,
and

I think the girls would like a pool.

I guess if it's your day, you should be able to do what you want.

Memorial Day at the Benner Farm

2010-05-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Beautiful breakfast view

Walking the property

Endless entertainment

Capping the day off right

Spring in the backyard

2010-05-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Addie Turns 4

2010-05-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Four seems so grown up but still so young. We are a blessed family.

There may be strawberry cake, presents, and balloons, but it's no party without John, Ashley, and baby Katherine!

Addie laid out all of her bills so she could count them. A birthday lesson in money management.

Birthday Sprinkler, or Why We Bought This House

2010-05-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to have some great weather for Addie's 4th birthday. She and Aaron made great use of our new yard by hooking up her "wigglin' waterpillar."

Aaron told her that a sprinkler like hers required some

serious dancing. He wasn't too ashamed to join in...

Sunny Saturday in May

2010-05-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

We started the day with a hefty breakfast at the Falls Church

Farmer's Market, complete with stuffed crepes, pastries,

fresh strawberries, and dairy cream.

The breakfast setup.

Addie with her favorite food on Earth.

Nora loved the milk! Obviously not skim...

We followed breakfast with a drive out to Middleburg,

home of horse farms and a beautiful main street area.

The bakery/deli where we ate lunch had a great patio.

Since we were the only ones there for a while, the girls had the run of the place.

After ice cream and some window shopping we trekked back home.

2010-05-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Nora is 16 months old! She's a (messy, sturdy, charming) little cut-up.

And we LOVE her!

2010-05-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Addie's 4th Birthday Tea Party

Dear friends baby Brooke and Audrey joined us at the tea table under the Dogwood for a backyard birthday celebration.

There were party hats, paper lanterns, and mini "tea-sized" eats.

Ashley made the cupcakes, complete with little marzipan bees. And she shared some of her beautiful peonies!

Brooke made the most of her mini cupcake.

Ashley made some serious bubbles (a gift from Audrey and Brooke) for the girls to chase.

Easter 2010 - Sarah's Parents Visit

2010-04-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is the second Easter that Sarah's parents have been able to visit.

They rode the train from NC this time.

We all went to church together...

then the Easter baskets came out.

Candy-filled eggs were hidden and found in the back yard...

with quite a bit of help from Band-dad.

And while Nora slept, Addie decorated some eggs.

She stayed remarkably clean.

Sarah's parents found some time to relax in the midst of it all.

What a fun visit!

2010-04-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

One of those days...

Fall at the Orchard in Boone

2010-03-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

We visited the Valentines for a few days and were invited to join them on an excursion to an apple orchard near town. Addie loved being a part of Michaela and Jenna's 'school trip'. Though the weather wasn't great, the girls loved being together and had fun "hooty-hoo"ing through the corn maze, picking pumpkins, and learning all about apple harvesting. The mommies had fun learning about it, too!
Everyone got a bag full of apples - half of which we fed to the horses who live near the Valentines' house.

We also squeezed in some visiting with Grandma and Granddad, and their piano.

Cherry Blossom and Kite Festival

2010-03-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

The blossoms (and crowds) were out in full force.

We love the kite festival - for a few hours the mall is covered with all kinds of kites which creates a neat atmosphere.

There are tents set up with crafts and activities for kids.
Addie made a Japanese style paper lantern.

Blue sucker teeth.

Addie's favorite thing about the festivals? The port-a-potties.
She couldn't believe all the little green "houses" that were set up!

Addie's work

2010-03-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is the first time Addie attempted to write her name. She did it, albeit in reverse, without spelling help or anything. It was in a Valentine's card to her cousin.
1/26/2010

The name-writing set off a series of attempted words. Here, Addie wrote and drew likenesses of her two favorite people.
2/18/2010

Just a few weeks later, she's writing her name like a pro. This a self-portrait, complete with teeth and haribows. The artist is pictured with her dad who has whiskers, and her little sister who is asleep in bed.
3/22/2010

Loving siblings.

2010-03-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ice Skating

2010-02-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

Aaron took Addie ice skating in a park in DC. It was her first experience and she loved it! Inspired by the olympics, she was eager to learn and reluctant to leave.

Valentine's Day Party!

2010-02-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Why have some party balloons when you can have 36 mylar, heart-shaped ones?
Aaron did it right - he covered the doorway so we couldn't see the room until it was time to party.

Addie wore her pink dress for the special occasion.Everyone was there... Lauren,

John, Ashley, and Katherine,

Mickey and Minnie (why not, you know?),
We finished the party with cupcakes and glo-sticks. Again - why not?

2010-02-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

I love this picture of Nora watching the birds.

13 months old

Nora At Her Best

2010-01-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

Backpacking through the big snow in January. Nora's signature look.

First spaghetti and skepticism - December 09.

Hair illusion, or, I smile because I have no idea what's going on.

Happy Homeowners

2009-12-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

Yay for us! We moved into a 1952 Cape Cod on New Year's Day.

Aaron's living the dream.

Olan Mills throwback

2009-12-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

On Grandma's hearth after Christmas.

Reality behind family portraits

2009-12-26T11:52:00.000-08:00

Funny that it's so hard to get kids to smile, but here they're the only ones cooperating.

Addie at the Dentist

2009-11-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Addie does great at Dr. Ed's. Those cheap little prizes work for her.
This is a photo from her second visit.

Nora is somewhere in the office...

the assistants were all fighting over her.

Old Town 3

2009-10-25T16:55:00.001-07:00

Old Town 2

2009-10-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Indian Style

2009-10-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Old Town

2009-10-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

I will chew you.

2009-10-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Little Lamb

2009-10-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

I'm an artist, Dad.

2009-10-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

Couches are Soft

2009-10-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Pink

2009-10-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Buckets = Fun

2009-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

The Girls

2009-10-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Get me Outta Here

2009-10-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Addie's Texas Hat at the Gettysburg, PA Apple Harvest Festival

2009-10-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Borrowing Addie's New Texas Hat

2009-10-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Getting Some Teeth, Y'all

2009-10-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Nora is 9 months old

2009-10-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

She is feeding herself...

She is just getting teeth #'s 3-6 which gives her the power to...

superclench, so that the spoon can't be removed from her mouth without some measure of force.

The Farm

2009-09-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Aaron's colleague owns a farm about 2 hours from DC. He invited a few families from work to spend a Saturday night there. We really had a great time visiting with friends and taking in the scenery. Though Saturday was rainy, Sunday morning was nice and allowed for breakfast on the porch, football in the yard, and a walk of the property. We ate home-smoked bbq, oatmeal pancakes, and monkey bread, and played Cranium -- it was old-fashioned fun! We were a few hours from the city for one night, but it felt like a real vacation!

Kids' table.

Addie's new friend Preston shared his cereal.

Looking for the horses.

Where'd everybody go?

Not a bad breakfast spot for the brothers.

Addie's pretend world.

Trying to entice the horses with some apples.

Rusty.

Boots are worthless in 18+ inches of water. Note the wet shorts, too.

Zonked

2009-09-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Addie is in two "classes" on Wednesdays. That's a packed morning for a 3 year old. This picture was taken at 1PM.

our bug is cute!

2009-09-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Jackson family visit

2009-09-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

Sarah's sister and her family visited for a few days. Azrael (3), Aria (10 months) and Addie and Nora had a lot of fun together.

Cute cousins

We took the metro to the zoo - on the way home Azrael had the whole car laughing.

Explorer Azrael tracks the Kamodo dragon with his "nocalers."

Fascinated by the elephant

Azrael's birthday at Elevation Burger, where the clientele sang to him -
he didn't know what to do!

Something sweet at Dairy Godmother. Aaron and Andy were away so Steph and Sarah hauled the kids around for a few days. One parent for 2 kids is hard. One would think two adults for 4 kids would be easier, synergy and all that. Wrong.

Addie's crafts

2009-09-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Addie's pretty serious with her crafts and will paint, color, etc, for hours.

It's official - Nora's mobile

2009-09-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Nora can sit up and crawl and has even pulled up on occasion. On Sept 2 she turned 8 months old - hard to believe!

Seattle - the city

2009-08-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time - 1 week in the Emerald City while the girls stayed at Aaron's parents' house. We walked around, saw what we could, and ate and drank more coffee than we should have. But it was so good!

This was taken from a hill in the Queen Anne neighborhood.

We were getting ready to share almost $30 worth of cheese items while watching them make cheese at Beecher's Cheese storefront at Pike Place Market.

Ahh, tourist attractions. Pike Place Market.
Yeah, they throw fish here, too.

We had an appetizer at a restaurant near our B&B that we decided is how our restaurant would look should we ever own one.

The city was clean, easy to navigate, and not too big. Will the East lose us to Seattle one day?

The foyer of our B & B, in the Capital Hill neighborhood. It was perfect.

Seattle - Mt. Rainier

2009-08-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful park. We started the day like a good east coast tourist should; a trip to the REI flagship store for fleeces, and macchiatos at a Seattle coffeeshop across the street from it.

We chose a trail because it was a little shorter and we didn't want to spend the whole day hiking. We didn't realize it was straight up - like climbing stairs for almost 2 miles.

Grey water like this is from glacier runoff.

Clear water is from melting snow.

Big trees. Not redwoods, but big.

At the top was a 300 foot waterfall.

Oh my. We finally finished!

Peak view from the south of the mountain.

There were lots of glacier paths. They almost looked like construction zones full of gravel.

Not the 300ft falls

View from above the falls in the previous picture.

Seattle trip - Islands

2009-08-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Part of our weeklong trip was spent exploring the surrounding islands. So different from anything here in DC, it made for an amazing trip.

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
View of the city from the ferry to nearby Bainbridge Island

One of Aaron's top five all time favorite meals was here, at the Harbor House, on the patio overlooking the marina. Aaron later hounded the chef until he gave us the recipe for his Killer Shrimp.

There were whole hillsides covered with blackberries. We foraged in public - it was fun!

The north side of Bainbridge is a beach reserve that offered one of our most memorable moments of the trip: We had been walking a while and turned around to walk back to the car and saw Mt. Rainier hanging out in the background.

MERCER ISLAND

Mercer Island is a suburb with beautiful homes, impressive water views, and walking trails. Oh, and slugs almost as long as Sarah's foot.

ORCAS ISLAND

The ferry to the SanJuans offered even more beautiful scenery - it was almost mountain/water view overload.

This building welcomes ferry riders to the island.

A side patio of a downtown building on Orcas Island.

Yay - Ice Cream!

2009-08-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Dairy Godmother in Del Ray is our go-to ice cream place.

Don't worry, we share a lot - this isn't just Addie's ice cream.

Addie's new haircut

2009-08-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

The G's

2009-08-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Nora

2009-08-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hawk

2009-08-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

This guy was on our fence - 10 yards from our kitchen window. Cooper's hawk? Sharp-shinned hawk? I can't figure it out.
But he was awesome!

Gammie's Birthday Party

2009-08-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

We were able to celebrate Debbie's birthday with the Jacksons. We basically took over Mellow Mushroom. Aaron had the entire restaurant singing to Debbie, who is not used to being the center of attention. I think she secretly, way down deep somewhere, loved it.

The Wilsons - (you really can't beat the Wilsons)

2009-08-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Grammy's birthday in Boone

2009-08-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

The time in Boone to celebrate A's mom's birthday was spent at a house in Blowing Rock with a big yard (a new thing for the city-girl Addie!).

No trip to Boone is complete without breakfast at Melanie's Food Fantasy. Mmm.

Addie and cousin Patrick

Birthday girls

Chocolate Cream Cake from Stick Boy. Ahh, Stick Boy - how I wish you were in DC!

Addie and John Thomas bonding over cake.

Goofball

2009-08-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Those are socks, not pants. Weird.

Sisters

2009-07-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Valentine Visit

2009-07-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

Addie had a chance to play with her cousins Jenna and Michaela when they came for a dinner visit. The girls played a while and ended up making some sparkly crowns. They're the sweetest family, and we are always so excited when we get a chance to see them.

Nora at 7 months

2009-07-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Now she's sitting in a chairand eating her solids!

Pool Time

2009-07-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

Girls in Glasses

2009-07-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Smiley

2009-06-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Big Girl

2009-06-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Laying Around

2009-06-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

I love dad's chair

2009-06-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Band-dad's a hoot

2009-06-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

New Hat

2009-06-28T17:56:00.000-07:00