Merry Christmas!!

 A Very Merry Christmas 

to all of our family and friends!!

This season has been a total swirl --filled with old and new traditions.  For the very first time we stayed in Virginia  for Christmas and Simone got to experience the holidays at home. 

We have stayed very busy getting ready for the big day.  However, we did manage to take time to enjoy the season and make some memories

Once again we went to the cookie exchange at Patowmack Farm, which was lovely as usual.  This year we made reindeer cookies that appear at the bottom right corner of this shot.

Daddy and Simone sipping their respective hot chocolate and warm cider.

We also made cookies for our house.  Here's a peak at the gingerbread trees decorated by Simone.

Finally,  we spent one Saturday afternoon at Oatlands Mansion sharing tea with some close friends who have been going there for many years.  It was very special to share in their tradition and we had a great time!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh.... No!

Well, for the very first time in our life we went out tree hunting and came back empty handed.  On Sunday we visited our traditional farm, and found.... nothing.

You'll notice that nearly all of the trees are barely taller than Simone -- just not gonna cut it (no pun intended).

 Next farm and here again, mostly tiny trees with a few that were either way too tall or damaged.

We were hopeful at the next farm, but same thing.  All too small.

Thought we might get lucky here, but ..... still the same problem.

 In 2-3 years all of these places look like they will have a great selection of my beloved Colorado Blue Spruce, but not this year -- devastating.  Apparently demand has been so great over the past few years that the local farms simply can't grow the trees fast enough.

We finally gave up, got some dinner and went home.  So for this year, it looks like we'll have to settle for either a cut tree or an artificial-- I never imagined!  We'll let you know how it all works out...

Holidays are HERE!!!!

Well, it's my favorite time of year once again.  Thanksgiving was, in a word, frantic.  With a house full of family and a turkey feast to prepare, I didn't have time to snap a single picture.  But we made it through a traditional Thanksgiving day with a special treat from Simone who performed Ode to Joy on the piano before we ate dinner.  Simone was also ecstatic to have her cousins with her for the weekend, AND a little bit of snow to give us our first glimpse of winter.

So, we have, of course, begun to get in the Christmas spirit, and before commencing the decorating and parties we took some family time to kick things off.  After church and dinner, we took a visit to Meadowlark Gardens for a holiday light display.

 Simone loved doing the scavenger hunt among the lights.  It was hilarious to watch her and Tony argue about the answers to some of the scavenger questions--it was serious business.

 Hands down, Simone's FAVORITE part of the evening was roasting marshmallows at the end of the trail.  Her eyes lit up brighter than any of the lights when she saw the fire pit and sticks.  She's been asking for ages to roast marshmallows over a "real fire" outside in the cold.  Well, she finally got her wish!!

Indeed a fitting and successful start to the Christmas season, with so much more fun to come.  As always, we'll keep everyone posted.

Happy Halloween!

 Halloween was a success!  The rain held off, kids were trick or treating in full force, and our little party was a great way to begin and end the evening.  This year Simone decided to be the tooth fairy--fitting really, for all the teeth she lost this year.

From the front...

and from the back.

This was our trick or treat gang.  Some decided to stay back at the house and pass out candy and the rest hit the streets for all the fun. 

Once again, the community was abuzz with kids and driveway bon fires.  It was good to see that neither the chilly weather nor the Friday night football games dampened the festivities.

Mommy's halloween bouquet.  Nothing else quite makes a holiday as special as fresh flowers!

And finally a shot of some decidedly UNWELCOME trick or treaters!  These little culprits have been chomping my mums for days.  Tony found seven of them in the front yard yesterday morning, these were the boldest of them.  

Overall, another memorable Halloween with good friends and good fun.  So long October, helllllo November!

Mount Vernon

This year we have really been taking advantage of the gorgeous fall weekends to spend some time outside and soak in beautiful northern Virginia.  So again this weekend, we ventured out, this time to George and Martha Washington's house -- Mount Vernon.  It was such a pretty, relaxing day with some wonderful old friends.

 This particular weekend was the fall festival at Mount Vernon, so there were some extra attractions for the kids.

Simone in the hay maze.

A handmade corn husk doll.  Simone and mommy crafted it.

Along the banks of the Potomac River.

Playing with old fashioned hoop toys.

And when all else fails... it makes a decent hula hoop.

Just stunning autumn colors!

And a little remind of the season to come.... can't wait!!!  But first we'll get through Halloween this week.