Tis the Season...

We are now in full Christmas swing and we've had a very eventful last few days celebrating the holiday season.  First and foremost, I draw everyone's attention to our first Christmas miracle -- Simone's Santa pictures actually turned out well this year!!! It only took us eight years to get her to look at the camera and smile, but we finally did it.

Perhaps it had something to do with the re-vamped Santa setup at Tysons Corner -- it's quite the ordeal now.  Gone are the days of simply sitting on Santa's lap and reciting your wish list.  Technology has arrived!  First, we avoided long lines by reserving an appointment time online, and spent 30 minutes of fun going through the Santa experience.

First the Naughty or Nice O'Meter

Then building an elf video featuring Simone.

A pose with Daddy.

Some Elf-ray vision activities.

And finally balloons and face painting.

Our second event was Simone's holiday piano recital.  She played "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" without a single mistake -- so proud!

She went into super shy mode as she introduced herself and her song.

Much more relaxed after the performance.

With the proud parents.

And with her proud teacher.

Next up -- some evening excitement in Middleburg, where we caught the tail end of the holiday parade and then relaxed the evening away at cozy resort.

These horses were amazing.  They "danced" to music as they paraded along.

Simone took this shot of a gingerbread creation.

Instant relaxation!  I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!

Outside sitting at one of the fire pits that dot the beautiful grounds.

Lots of warm cozy fires to snuggle up next to both outside and inside -- so festive!

And finally -- a quick peek at two other toasty and tasty outings ...

Our second annual holiday tea at Oatlands Plantation.

And an evening at a local German Christmas Market.

Brats and split pea soup --Yum!

 Amidst all of the holiday chores, these are the kinds of things that make the holidays worth it!  Can't wait to see what other fun we can find this month.

Turkey Day in VA

So, it seems to me that try as I might, I just can't get very good Thanksgiving pictures year after year. I think it mostly has to do with how busy this holiday tends to be.  That, however, doesn't mean that we didn't enjoy a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend.  Simone's cousins came down to join us in Virginia for a few days of feasting, shopping, and holiday hoopla -- a very nice way to kick off the holiday season.

The lone photo I took on Thanksgiving day.  Our dinner table all ready to eat!

On Friday, we all headed over to Reston Town Center to watch the tree lighting and do some ice skating. Simone was a total pro -- her lessons have indeed paid off.  Despite the crowd, the really ripped up ice, and the slippery puddles, Simone was able to skate and help her cousin Jack who had never skated before.

Such a festive atmosphere and a very mild night to enjoy being outside.

And sadly that's it as far as photos.  But the parts of the weekend I didn't capture were a long hike along the river and a great evening out on Saturday for dinner and the new Disney movie -- The Good Dinosaur, which if you've not seen, was super cute.  A funny, heartwarming, tear jerking, sweet movie that kept us all entertained.

And now to wind down the year with lots of Christmas fun and family time.  We've begun putting up the decorations and next weekend we go to visit Santa.  Indeed, the most wonderful time of the year!!

Halloween With Mickey!

Well, we finally made it!  For years now, we've been wanting to get to the annual International Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT, and this year was the year we did it.  Simone's school was closed on Monday and Tuesday and Halloween fell on Saturday, so what better than to take a long weekend and head for Disney World to trick or treat with Mickey Mouse?  We even landed an extra hour with changing the clocks back! It was soooo much fun!

Simone's aunt, uncle, and cousin joined us for five days in the happiest place on earth.  This was the first holiday we celebrated at Disney (aside from 4th of July), and not surprisingly, this place knows how to throw a party.

The resort was decorated for the season and had lots of festivities to celebrate -- a pumpkin decorating contest, trick or treating, and a cupcake party-- just to name a few.

The food and wine festival was great.  EPCOT is typically our favorite park, and the food sampling made it even better this time.

This year was the 20th annual festival.

Mussels from New Zealand.

Yakisoba and sushi in Japan -- Simone's favorite.

This corn cheesecake in Mexico was AMAZING!!!

The girls in their Halloween Day outfits.

For the evening, we all dressed up for the Mickey Not So Scary Halloween Party. We wanted costumes that were easy, coordinated, and comfortable.  I think we hit the mark.

It was fun to see the Magic Kingdom all decked out for the occasion.

Mommy's artistic shot.

Aunt Sue spotted this PERFECT set in Fantasyland for Simone to pose for a few poodle shots.  MY FAVORITE!!

Halloween parade was great!

And the fireworks stunning as usual.

The Disney villains were a big theme of the weekend, and Simone saw more than a few, but here's a quick taste of a couple...

Just before midnight, as we shut down the park.

A truly special and crazy fun Halloween weekend --totally worth missing the Halloween events in our neighborhood (which are always super fun).  And now it's time to start gearing up for the next holiday -- we just love this time of year!