Halloween in Wonderland

We are in a candy coma after enjoying the weekends festivities.  This year topped all Halloweens for us, with two little ones bursting with excitement over the costumes, treats and pumpkins.  

Every year in Old Town Alexandria the boutiques have tricks and treats to enjoy.  The crowd was low this year as it was snowing while we were out.  The warm and fragrant apple cider and cookies warmed us up though, when we stopped into the Sugar Cube candy store. 

Caroline picked a theme again (back in June) for our family this year.  She was dying to be Alice in Wonderland and wanted little Olive to be her White Rabbit.  I was to be a "nice" Queen of Hearts, and Adam was a "nice" Mad Hatter.  

Many people wondered why the flamingo?  If you recall, those silly birds were the key to the croquet game between Alice and the Queen.

Alice was lucky to hang out with her dear friend Dorothy the night of Halloween.  They VERY energetically shouted trick or treat all evening, and they were just as thrilled to greet trick or treaters at the door later to pass out the candy.  

Don't kids make holidays even more magical than you could ever imagine?

This little ladybug and white rabbit worked hard for their candy.  People continued to say "take a handful" and these two little ones tried to grasp their chubby little fingers around as many pieces of candy as they could.  After grabbing candy, Olive would say, "Thank You!  Your Welcome!  Trick or Treat!"  then she would say "hop, hop, hop" as she would hop along to the next door.  She never left a pumpkin feeling lonely either as she would stop and pat it on the top and say, "Hi pwumpkwin!"  

Hopefully I can lay off of the Kit Kats and other gummy goodies so the girls won't wonder where all of their candy went.  Surprisingly they haven't cared that their treat bags are empty, they are now using them to store their jewelry :)

Let the holiday season begin!

{Pumpkin Carving}

Hallow's Eve is almost here, and with that brings so much excitement for the holiday season all together!  There is also an intense craving to throw a party with mummy toes, dried scabs, and kitty litter casserole. That will have to wait until next year, unless I plan it tonight and throw the party Monday between a birthday celebration, Preschool parade and Trick-or-Treating.

Luckily people are more on top of it than me and we were able to enjoy friends company at a pumpkin carving party.  

Warm soups satisfied our stomachs, along with homemade pumpkin roll.  The children ransacked the house, while the adults focused their attention on pumpkin carving.

We forgot one of the handiest tools to carve pumpkins that we learned about a few years ago, a canning lid.  The flat disc scrapes out those pumpkin guts with ease, and makes cleaning out the pumpkin a little more enjoyable.   It has revolutionized our carving days!

We went home with some very spooky pumpkins, the cat's mouth really creeps me out.

Have a festive weekend!!

Virginia Beach

The other day I was asking Adam to list things that he was really passionate about.  Adam is really easy going and likes just about anything, but I wanted to know those things that make him super excited about living.

As I was naming different things off, I didn't see his face light up or his eyes sparkle.  When I said fishing though, it was money.  I got just the expression that I thought I would.

I myself am not a fisher-woman.  I think I would rather be doing nothing than fishing, that is more relaxing to me.  Fishing with Adam does make it a bit more enjoyable, but I still can only handle small doses.  Now, fishing in Virginia Beach off of a dock?  That I could do all day, day after day.   Cozy chairs to sit on, beautiful waterfront homes to gaze at, and boats zooming and lazily sailing by.  

I felt very passionate about the entire weekend!  Fishing on the dock and watching my giddy husband and little Caroline reel in the fish.  Boating, sleeping in a cozy little cottage, biking, and running along the sandy shores of the water with our giggly girls....I am lit up by all of that.

I think Adam has found two new thrilled fishing buddies.  Caroline caught about 5 fish and both girls used tiny 3-foot poles in shades of pink and green.  I had never seen such a tiny little pole.

Several types of fish were caught including a couple of Sheepshead (they have crazy teeth!), Sea Trout, and Spotfish.  Caroline was the first to reel in a fish (her first fish ever!) and I think she has the love her dad has for baiting a hook.

The Chief Mate and Second Mate luckily found some time to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride as the boat sped along.  Caroline kept shouting as loud as her little voice could, "BEST. DAY. EVER.!!" A special thanks to the Lambournes for making the weekend such a huge success.

By the look on that daddy's face I'd say that he is pretty passionate about being with his girls.  The way he teaches them and plays with them is incredible to watch.  They are two very lucky little ladies.

We left Virginia Beach refreshed and rejuvenated for tackling more late night classes for Adam, late nights without daddy for the girls and me, getting ready for family pictures, and all of the many other activities of real life.

I think I might be a converted Virginia Beach fisher-woman now!

Biking to Mount Vernon

It's no wonder that President Washington chose the spot he did for his estate.  It is a lush area with a scenic winding road to get there.  Driving along the GW Parkway to Mt. Vernon is one that sends me into relaxation mode every time I am on it.  I have driven that strip of road a few times when the girls needed a little help falling asleep for naps.  

Biking from Old Town Alexandria to Mt. Vernon is a lot more work than driving, but the work pays off with landscapes of cascading fall leaves, travels over wooden bridges, and lots of spots to just take in the beauty of the sparkling water.  

Adam pulled these little beauties behind him the whole time and they loved the ride (most of the way)!

The 9-mile ride is really enjoyable and you don't have many hills, until the end when you realize Mr. Washington really did choose a mountain :)

After reaching our destination, we switched Olive to the co-pilot seat to give the girls their space.

Just in case you need to make a phone call, I saw two pay phones that just cracked me up.  I know they are there for emergencies, but there was actually a man using one of the phones.  When was the last time you used one?  I didn't know they still existed!

The homes along the way capture the essence of charm.  

And the benches along the way are perfect for taking in a rest and a snack.

I recommend stopping to take all of your pics because I almost made people crash twice :)  I was shooting pics while peddling because the leaves were gorgeous and I loved everything about the trail.

Biking is something I think I could really enjoy doing a lot as a family.

Last weekend was a perfect closing to summer.  Friday evening was warm and breezy, which blew in a crisp fall air on Saturday, perfect to cozy up for to watch General Conference.  Although it warmed up a bit towards the end of the week, it feels like fall is officially here in all it's beauty.  

There is something about being close to or on the water in the summer though.  It is completely mesmerizing, romantic and calming.  The National Harbor is a perfect place to take in the water and be swept away by the mix of colors that the sunset brings.

You can also snuggle up close to your honey, and take in a movie and the stars all at the same time.  The screen sits right near the water.  

Dreamy, right?

To enjoy the brisk fall air, we spent Saturday at Hartland Orchard picking crisp apples and strolling through the pumpkin patch with friends.  We stayed warm searching for the perfect apples to fill our bags.  The thought of fresh homemade apple pie helped keep us warm too.

Caroline stayed warm because she was working hard picking all of our apples.  Olive stayed warm because we continued to add any layers we could find from the car.

The day was memorable, the pie was a perfect mix of tart and sweet, and talks from General Conference once again ignited a spark to try to be better.

Happy Fall!!

Quality time with O in Old Town

Reason to Celebrate

Last week we had a good excuse to get gussied up and go out.  Adam received an offer from a firm in Salt Lake City to work next year!  This means that we will be heading back West next Spring.  We couldn't be happier and we girls can't express our love to daddy enough for working so hard.

When I told Caroline that we would be going out on Friday night somewhere fancy, she heard that word and rolled with it.  

"Mom, I need to wear a fancy dress, and so do you!"

"Do you think the restaurant will have fancy highchairs with whales on them that are wearing fancy, big hats?  Olive could sit in one of those!"

"Don't forget to drink with your pinkie up!"

"....oh and say Chip, Chip, Cheerio!"

The places that Adam and I had talked about going for dinner were not fancy.  There was Ray's Hellburger, or Ben's Chili Bowl.  At the last minute we decided to go to Old Ebbitt Grill, right across from the Treasury Building and the White House.  

It did not disappoint, fancy enough to leave Caroline in awe, but not so fancy that we felt uncomfortable taking her and Olive there with us.  

She daintily placed the linen napkin on her "fancy ensemble" (a term she used to describe the outfit that she picked out for the occasion).  

And Olive was just happy to look at the brass dog in the window behind her and Adam, and at all of the model geese and ducks displayed throughout the restaurant.

I had an old box of artificial nails that I got as a stocking stuffer from my love our first year of marriage (maybe he thought I was a bit high maintenance :)  Caroline helped me put them on and she loved how they looked.  I was a bit embarrassed and was kind of hiding my hands at first.  

Luckily I don't wear nails because by the end of the night I had only 5 nails left.  Maybe I am not careful enough, or maybe it is because the glue was over 5 years old (pretty sure it was the latter).

After we ate, we decided to go to the courthouse where Adam is working as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Judge Rader.  Adam showed us around his office in the Judge's chambers and Judge Rader just happened to be working late.  In fact, he had just returned from a reception with President Obama at the White House.  He was extremely nice to take time away from his work to visit with us.  

He even scooped Olive right to take a picture with the girls.

Here is the view from one of the windows in his office.  (sorry about the flash)  That building is the Treasury Building where I interned many years ago, and the White House is right next to the Treasury in those trees.

After visiting Adam's work, we walked around outside and visited the White House at night, which was beautiful.  Now that we know we are not sticking around the East Coast, I feel a sense of urgency to "conquer the world," (a phrase Adam frequently uses to describe my need to see and do it all).

I have a list forming in my head of things we have to do before we leave, and it is getting pretty long.

Monticello, Gettysburg, bike to Mount Vernon, tour the White House, drive back to New England?, Outer Banks, NC . . . 

We really enjoyed our experience in NY this summer, and we truly love the East Coast.  However, we feel extremely blessed to have an opportunity to get back to Utah and be close to both our families.