New Year, New......Hmmmm.....

So far the new year has only brought me congestion, achiness, and most recently, a LOVELY cough that I'm becoming convinced is not likely to leave my body much before February. It's been a GRAND start to the new year. Not.


Fortunately, through the fog of sickness, I truly can see that the year ahead holds promise. We're finally getting to the end stages of the flood recovery process. We're still purging, donating, organizing, and packing away our things that were uncovered during the flood and the reconstruction. But it is coming to an end. The basement looks better than ever. There is a new couch, a new tv (albeit still in the box), a lot of new plastic storage bins, new shelving in the laundry room, and A LOT less stuff overall. We're getting there. The process has been long and painful, but we know in the end it will be worth it. And now we can finally see the end in sight. I can't tell you how good that feels.


The end of 2010 could not have come sooner for us. For although the year had many high points, we also endured a lot of challenges for us and for those around us. It seemed like every high was immediately followed by a new bump/diversion/illness/whatever that made it impossible to stop and enjoy the high point. We're hoping that 2011 holds more calm moments (although with the 4 and 7 year olds around, it's not likely to be all that calm), more healthy moments (again, a challenge with young ones around), and more enjoyable moments for us and for all those we love and care about.

For now I'm holding that hope and holding on to it with all my might. I know there will be challenges and bumps in 2011, and we will meet them head-on and hopefully get past them with minimal disruption. That is my hope for us and for all of you in the new year.

Great Start to the Weekend

We are in the midst of a holiday weekend and boy, is it a good thing there is an extra day this weekend. We'll need it to recover from the first two days of the weekend!

Friday afternoon we had John's preschool graduation, which was wonderful and sentimental (more for me than for him I think) and exhausting. Then that evening we went to Friday Night Live in Herndon, Va for an outdoor concert, picnic dinner, and hanging out with some good friends. We met up with a neighbor family there and just had a great time. It was fun for the kids and the adults and the weather was perfect for it. All in all, it was a great day!

Then Saturday (after I went to the farmers market in the morning) we went down to my in-laws' marina and spent the afternoon on their boat. We opted not to take the boat out due to wind conditions and the crowds reported to be out on the river. But instead we went for a great swim in the marina's pool, where John was thrilled to show off his new swimming skills, and then just relaxed on the boat to enjoy the fabulous day. Afterwards we went back to their house to have a big traditional cookout. A great day all around. The kids did well, staying up late for a second night in a row and Kara only had a short nap in the car. I'm expecting to see some behavior issues today from both of them, but that's certainly understandable. Today I think we'll try to stick closer to a normal schedule for them.

The great thing about a holiday weekend is that even though it already feels like we've had a very full weekend, we still have 2 more full days to enjoy! Yahooo!!!!

All About the Moms

As usual I started off this Monday morning with a severe energy shortage. We had a very busy and full weekend. But I wouldn't have traded a minute of it.

Friday night I got the chance to hang out with a few of my mom friends (without the kids) and had a great time. We so rarely get to see each other without the little ones around, but when we do get together we laugh, share, dance, drink, and enjoy the time to be adults!

Then Saturday morning I took Kara to the Reston Farmer's Market and was amazed at how many vendors were there with so many yummy things to eat. It was impressive and made me yearn for the summer veggies that I know are in our future. How wonderful. With only limited cash in my pocket I purchased asparagus, strawberries, spinach, a head of romaine, and a bag of mixed baby greens. I also ran into both of John's preschool teachers and relished sharing the experience with Kara on such a gorgeous day.

Kara and I headed home (after a run to the regular grocery store for our staple items) to prepare some food for the evening's meal for which my parents were coming over. We took a break after her nap and all four of us went over to a neighborhood playground social event. The weather was wonderful and many neighbors came out to the meet and greet. The kids enjoyed the time to run and play after all the MANY days of rain we've had lately. Then we headed back home just in time to meet my parents as they arrived to celebrate my dad's birthday (last week) and Mother's Day (a day early). We had a great evening with them - yummy food and great wine and a very nice visit.

Sunday morning I took the chance to sleep in just a bit before we were back at the entertaining thing again. I was up and cooking and preparing for a visit from Matt's parents for brunch/lunch for Mother's Day. Matt and the kids went and got flowers and bagels for our own breakfast while I worked on getting lunch together. Then we had a very enjoyable visit with the Rankins. They even took the kids out on a big walk while Matt and I cleaned up after lunch and had a few moments to rest a bit. After they left, Kara took her nap and I changed clothes and took the opportunity, on another gorgeous day, to take a long walk by myself. It was so nice! When I got home, Matt and John went off to the pet store and I even got a little snooze in. What a Mother's Day! After Kara woke up, we took the kids' bikes outside and spent the rest of the afternoon riding bikes and hanging out with neighbors. Later Matt prepared dinner (cheese fondue - YUMMM!!) and we were all so wiped out. The kids got into bed and we were not far behind them. I think I could have slept all day today I was so tired.

This morning was a little hard to get going, but it was worth the fun and good times we had all weekend long. I am not sure I could handle another weekend like this anytime soon, but I am thankful for all the family and friends I was able to share time with this weekend.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Holidays

We have finally (mostly) recovered from a whirlwind of a Christmas week. We had good visits with family, fantastic presents, fun games, great food, and a lot of great memories. Matt's sister Caroline was in town for a week, so we managed to pack in four visits with her and Matt's parents during the week. It was great for us and even better for the kids, who adore their Aunt Caroline and don't get to see her all that often since she lives in Kentucky. We spent Christmas Even with my in-laws and Christmas Day with my parents. The kids were exhausted by the end of it all, and yet they still were wishing for more presents to open! I'm starting to think that it's too much to do a big birthday fuss for John in mid-December and then Christmas a few days later. It's overwhelming for him and for us!

Anyway, the holidays were full of fun and family and very good food. We enjoyed our visits with everyone and at the end had a couple of weekend days at home to ourselves to relax and recover. Now we're trying to figure out what our New Year's Eve will entail. Right now our plans include the kids and I going to a kids' show at Jammin'Java (a local coffee place/small show venue) with a few friends of mine from college and their kids. Then we're heading back to another family's house to hang out, play, and eat until the kids decide the evening is over! ;-) Should be a lot of fun and although it will be low-key, I am looking forward to a fun afternoon and evening. And a very Happy New Year!

Hope you have all had a happy holiday season and have a wonderful start to your 2009!

Also, thanks to all who helped me get to 300 hits on this blog already!! Yeahhh!! And I promise to get back on track with more regular posts again in the new year! (It's one of my more important resolutions this year!) ;-)

The Holidays are Upon Us

Last night we managed to get everyone dressed and out the door to go to a holiday concert that my mother-in-law sang in. Her chorale was singing with a band and doing a variety of holiday songs. It was a very nice concert and the kids seemed to enjoy it. Well, John actually managed to sit through almost half of it before getting the wiggles. And Kara sat for about 5 minutes before the concert even started and then was on the move the rest of the time. Fortunately, it was held at Fairfax High School, so there was plenty of room to wander the halls around the auditorium during the concert with all the other 2 year olds who were just not going to sit through the show! Matt and I took shifts and the kids made a fair number of new friends.

As I was taking Kara down to go for a walk I was reminded of a very eventful trip we took 3 years ago to Austin, TX to see my sister-in-law's doctoral graduation ceremony, when John was just 2 years old. The trip getting to Austin involved flying into Chicago on a very snowy, stormy night. We were on the first plane for 9 hours, then had a terrifying cab ride for another hour, ate dinner at midnight, slept on the airport floor, and made the rest of the trip to Austin the following morning. WITH A 2 YEAR OLD. All in all, it took us 24 hours to get there. The next day was the actual graduation ceremony. I'm not sure why we thought that John would sit through the event. Of course, he didn't. Not for one minute. I spent the entire ceremony out in the hallway, again with the other kids and their parents. It was okay, but I was a little bummed to have come all that way to have missed the whole thing. But, I digress....

So we did the holiday concert, saw another Santa, and got dressed up in nice clothes for a fun evening out. We drove home through some neighborhoods nearby to see holiday lights. It was a good evening. John and I baked cookies yesterday and Kara helped frost and decorate them. It was actually the first time I had ever made frosting, so it was an experience all the way around! We've been enjoying getting more and more holiday cards in the mail each day. And the kids are certainly enjoying their advent calendars this year. It's been a good season so far and I'm looking forward to all the holiday joy the coming week is going to bring for us.

Relax - for a moment anyway

As I type this, I'm listening to Matt and the kids play with John's new Hot Wheels set in the basement. Kara's asking "Rea-ry Daddy?" (translate - Ready Daddy?). And the set is nice because to work the whole thing together you need to push buttons in two different places, which gives Kara a way to participate without making John miserable! It's a good time happening down there. We're also waiting (some of us more patiently than others) for some Christmas sugar cookies to cool so that we can decorate them. It's been a nice calm day for us, which has been very pleasant. We managed to get a bit of grocery shopping in. I did some of the gift wrapping last night, so I'm feeling a bit better about that task. The next couple of days are going to be busier again, filled with errands and visits with family, which we all love, but does sometimes leave me wondering when the other tasks of the household will get done. The day outside has been gray and dreary, but it has been that way most of the week. I'm really ready for it to either snow or clear up so we can see the sun again.

The kids seem to be enjoying the holidays so far. We've been making various holiday/birthday crafts, singing songs, watching holiday specials, and ready lots of good holiday books. Yesterday at the library we actually found a copy of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which we read all together before naptime today. I love finally being able to enjoy the season and all that it entails. We're getting multiple holiday cards in the mail each day now and I love seeing how all the kids are growing and changing.

Okay, the kids aren't waiting too patiently anymore for decorating cookies. So off I must head to do that before total anarchy takes over my household!

Holidays are Coming - Happy or Not!

Well, this week has been terribly busy for me. After the big birthday festivities last weekend, we hosted Kara's playgroup on Tuesday morning, followed by me having to work in John's class in the afternoon. Then yesterday, Matt stayed home with the kids and worked in the class so I could go out and finish the Christmas shopping. It amazed me at how much I was able to accomplish in a few short hours without the short people tagging along! I went to two different malls, a toy store, a shipping store, the Container Store, and had lunch in three and a half hours. I was totally wiped out at the end of it all, but it was done, so I felt like I'd actually gotten it accomplished. And it's still a week until Christmas! So this morning, with both kids up before dawn (which is just not the norm around here, and thus leads to super-tired and cranky kids), I decided to take things easy today. John was thrilled to help me put labels and stamps on the Christmas cards while Kara worked on her own sticker page. Afterwards we bundled up and walked up to the mailbox to send off our cards. Kara got to drop the cards in the box, much to John's dismay. Then we walked around the neighborhood a bit, delivered a few more cards ourselves and then headed home to warm up. It was surprisingly cold out this morning! By this point, I was exhausted, but the kids had finally woken up and were playing well together and running around while I was making lunch before getting John off to school. I was ready to drop him off about an hour early today, but held on until the normal drop-off time. ;-) Then I finally had a few moments to myself once I had Kara in bed for her nap. I briefly thought about spending the time wrapping presents or doing something productive, but quickly decided watching the last episode of Desperate Housewives, which I had missed, would be much more relaxing! After having some time to chill out, I headed for the laundry room and then the kitchen to make dinner. So now I'm about to head out to pick up John from school and figure out what on earth we're going to do to get through the afternoon. I'm seeing some art projects happening today!

Now that I've gotten so much accomplished, I'm starting to be able to relax and remember what the holidays are really all about. I'm finally looking forward to spending time with all our family and watching the magic of Christmas unfold. I wish everyone the luxury of time to stop and enjoy the holidays.

Pre-Birthday Week

So this week has been a little nuts around here. As I'm trying to get caught back up from our week of illnesses last week, I've realized that I've done very little Christmas shopping. Add to that John's birthday is on Sunday and you've got one overwhelmed mom! Fortunately, I've done the birthday shopping and yesterday the kids and I conquered the party store for supplies for the (very) small birthday party we're having on Sunday. Today we did the craft store to get a craft project for the party and managed to get a Christmas present for one of my nieces while we were there (ka-ching!). It's been a very busy week. I've been very thankful to have my afternoons during preschool and naptime to get a few things done and have a few minutes to myself. My brain feels like it's going too fast and I definitely need some time each day to make myself slow down a bit and remember to enjoy the season. This is my favorite time of year and I've been struggling to enjoy it so far this year. I'm hoping that after Sunday things will slow down and we'll be able to relax a bit. I just finished doing a bunch of shopping via Crate and Barrel's website (with free shipping, even to multiple locations - yeah!!), so that takes care of a lot of my list. I feel very relieved! Now I have a few more minutes before waking Kara to go get John after school. Then I'm intending to do some vacuuming, but maybe we'll do a holiday craft project or watch a holiday show that we've taped instead. I need to have a little fun today!!

So, it's been awhile!

Okay, so I've been very lax in my blog posting since before Thanksgiving. But I have a good reason! Our family was inundated with sickie bugs for most of the last two weeks. Yuck! We started out the holiday with John, Kara, and I having head colds. Then Kara developed a nasty stomach bug late on Thanksgiving night. She was down and out for most of the weekend, which was too bad for our visit with all the extended family. The rest of us thought we were free and clear, but then we quickly realized we were wrong! On the Wednesday after the holiday, once my cold was finally starting to clear, I came down with the stomach bug. That night Matt succumbed and John was affected the following day. John was the only one who did not actually get sick, but he spent most of the day complaining of an upset tummy, stayed home from swimming and school and took a nap (which he only does when he's sick). So, after several more days of illness, we seem to finally have beaten back the bugs and be on the mend. Needless to say, it's been a long couple of weeks!

Fortunately, we did have a good holiday overall. With Kara being the exception, the rest of us really enjoyed the time we had with both sets of grandparents, my aunt, my uncle, and my brother, sister-in-law and their two girls. John had a great time playing with the cousins, while Kara mostly slept the days away. We cut down Christmas trees and decorated my parents' house, ate tons of yummy food, and watched some good football games. It was a busy, but good weekend.

This last week was a bit brutal for us, but with us getting sick in a sort of staggered fashion, we were able to get through it. That, and with the help of some good friends! We've been sick a few times this fall already, but this was definitely the worst. It made me appreciate the fact that we rarely get stomach bugs around here. Usually it's just colds, which are yucky, but not so bad when compared with this.

So, for now, I'm on to getting prepared for John's 5th birthday (which is a week from today - yikes!) and then on to Christmas. We tried to go see Santa today at the mall. Not quite sure what we were thinking - trying to see Santa on the weekend? Duh! Not likely! So I'm heading back tomorrow morning - going early and getting a good spot in line. The people we were in line with today waited at least 2 hours! No thank you! We waved to Santa and the kids were just fine with it.

Then later this week we'll be getting ready for a very small gathering for John's birthday on Sunday. We purchased a Thomas cake (at the preschool's silent auction), so John's delighted about that and wants the decorations to also be Thomas themed. So, off to the party store for us for supplies. And I want to get over to the arts & crafts store also for a few crafts to do in the coming weeks with the kids. Maybe somewhere in there we'll get to make a few cookies and treats too.

I really wish I had a few more hours in the day, a couple more hands, and maybe even a few clones of me to do all the chores that I can't seem to get to. Oh, and some extra cash to buy all these gifts and decorations with would be nice too!

Turkey Day - version 1 and 2

So this year we are going to have a crazy Thanksgiving! I'm betting this might be my last post before the big day hits and so I'm going to give the run down of our week ahead.

Thursday - We head over to my in-laws for the day. It will just be the four of us and the two of them, so should be a fun, but relatively low-key day. Since Matt and I don't eat the turkey, my mother-in-law has chosen a turkey-free meal - baked fish, oyster stew, salads, and other yummy feast items. I'm sure it will be delicious, but somewhat non-traditional. We will all have fun and eat to our hearts content, no doubt. Then at the end of the day, we will drive out to my parents' house to spend the rest of the weekend.

Friday - We'll wake up to a house full of family. My parents and aunt (from Maine) will already be there. Later in the morning, my brother, his wife, and their two girls (from Atlanta) will arrive, leading to all kinds of crazy cousin fun. And then at some point that day, my uncle and his wife (from California) will arrive. They will only be spending the day with us, but it will be a house full for Friday! This will likely also be the day that we spend going to cut down Christmas trees, decorating the house, and exchanging "First Day" presents. (First Day is a funny family tradition we have of exchanging small gifts that are Christmas related - such as holiday decorations, earrings, wrapping paper, etc.) Again, it will be fun, but definitely crazy!

Saturday - My uncle and his wife will be gone, and my aunt will head home this afternoon as well. But that still leaves the cousin cluster to play and create havoc! This is always a good time for the kids, who don't see each other nearly enough and really enjoy each other despite a significant age range. This night, my mom is planning to do a traditional turkey Thanksgiving dinner for the remaining group. John is happy that he'll still get to eat some turkey and Kara's excited for "tur-eeee."

Sunday - My brother's family will head back to Atlanta and at some point, we will head home to Reston. I'm not sure at what point that day any of us will have the energy to pack or drive home, but it will happen so that we can get our Christmas tree into the house and back into some water that day! ;-)

This year Matt has decided to take Monday off work, and I'm thankful for that. Typically our Thanksgiving weekend isn't quite this crazy, but it is always busy and we come home exhausted. It's always a big challenge to get ready mentally to head into Monday, so I'm happy that this year we can have one more day to ourselves to re-group.

Well, now I'm tired out just thinking about the weekend ahead! I hope everyone reading this has a great and happy Thanksgiving and I'll be sure to post next week about how it all went! Gobble Gobble Gobble!

Friday Morning

So this morning we're all up nice and early. Yea...or not. We've been enjoying some relatively slow and relaxed mornings this week as the weather has been dreary and wet and we've been light on morning plans. This morning we're heading out in a bit to get John a haircut before our family portraits tomorrow and then to the grocery store to pick up some milk (we're bone dry - major problem around here).

While we're waiting the kids are fighting about what game to play and whether or not Kara will be able to be included. She's to the age now where she's not quite old enough to play most of our games, but she REALLY wants to be allowed to play. And being Mommy's "teammate" isn't quite cutting it anymore. She got the Goodnight Moon game for her birthday from her great-aunt and that's helped a lot. But it's not always what John's willing to play. So, the battles and frustrations have already started for today.

Thank goodness the weather has improved so we will definitely get outside for some playtime today. It's going to be 72 degrees here today! We have windows and doors open already and we're wearing short sleeved shirts. Is it really November?

Yes, it is November because I'm already starting the deliberations and search for Christmas presents. It's definitely the year that Kara will get a play kitchen, but finding the right one - that's tricky. There's size, space, features, cost, accessories, and more to consider! I never realized how hard it would be to make this decision! And I haven't really thought too much yet about what John's going to want. Oy vay!!

TGIF....Have a great Friday and great weekend!!

Halloween Fun

Well, we are full swing in the Halloween season! Although Kara hasn't worn her costume yet, John's made use of his several times over already. We tried to get to the Halloween event at the Udvar-Hazy Museum last weekend, but that just didn't work out. So, on Sunday we went to another Halloween party at a playground in our neighborhood. It was a lot of fun for the kids - games, prizes, cookies, and even a good storytelling time. John had a blast. Kara's nap made her miss most of the party, but Matt brought her over for the end and she was able to enjoy some fun too. Then we took a brief break for a couple of days...until yesterday when I took the kids to the arts and crafts store and we picked up some reduced price Halloween crafts. We also carved John's pumpkin last night while Kara used some glow-in-the-dark paint to decorate hers. It was a fun evening. We also got a wonderfully stuffed package yesterday from Matt's sister filled with even more Halloween fun for us all. Tomorrow it will finally be Halloween and Matt has taken the day off to spend with us. John's class will have a costume parade, there will be a neighborhood parade after school, and then on to the trick-or-treating. So much going on! We still haven't watched Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin - maybe we'll get to squeeze that in tonight. Happy Haunting Everyone!

Rainy Day

It's raining here today. Off and on all day, mostly sprinkles, with a bit of wind. What a dreary day! After having a very low-key morning around the house, Kara is now napping, Matt's at the gym, while John watches some original episodes of Scooby Doo (Thanks to Grandpa Rankin for that - the kids love it!), and I'm doing some playing around on our new laptop. It's pretty cute to watch John get so excited about watching the Scooby Doo shows, which are clearly made in the era when I was a kid. It's funny to see how old the animation looks by today's standards. But at not quite 5 years old, John of course doesn't care about that. He just loves singing the theme song and watching what crazy antics Scooby and the gang find themselves in. Some things truly are classics.

Anyway, later this afternoon we're planning to head over to the Udvar-Hazy Museum (a branch of the National Air & Space Museum) for some Halloween fun. They've got an event they're calling "Air and Scare" which just sounds fabulous. I'll have to write about it again later, but for $10 per car you get in and everything inside is free. Lots of activity stations for the kids, pictures to be taken with the Star Wars characters, flight simulators, face painting, and an IMAX showing of the Jetsons! We're planning to meet up with some of our neighbors over there then all go out for yummy pizza (at Generous George's - YUMMM!!!) afterwards. I'm so looking forward to some good seasonal family fun. I just hope the kids all survive the event!!

By the way, for those that don't know, Kara's going to be a bumble bee and John will be Thomas the Tank Engine (for the 3rd year in a row!). Should be some cute pictures in the making! I'll post some soon!!

We Love Fall

We've been enjoying some perfect Fall weather here lately. It's been in the mid-70's and sunny most days and we've all been spending as much time outside as we can. Over the long weekend, we went on a long family walk/bike ride, went to an Oktoberfest, took the kids to a picnic and walk around a lake, collected leaves for Halloween decorations, played at the playground, and visited with my best friend, her husband, and their new baby. It was just about a perfect family weekend filled with excellent outdoor family activities. Today we started the day off with a birthday party at a very fun local playground. And next weekend we're planning another fun day doing activities with the Loudoun Fall Farm Tour - always a good time. I'm not sure if I can keep all the other balls in the air of our normal everyday life, but dropping one or two in exchange for enjoying all this fun family time is a price I'm willing to pay!

The new seasonal fun that we experienced this weekend was that we were "boo"ed by our neighbors! If you haven't heard of it, it's a new Halloween activity that involves giving 2 of your neighbors small Halloween gifts or decorations, along with a treat or two, and putting a ghost (the "Boo") on their door. The gift includes a poem describing the tradition and asking the receiver to pay the gift forward to 2 more neighbors. It's very fun and John was thrilled to have been "boo"ed. He helped me go to Target to collect new items to give to the families we will "boo" and was excited to put the bags together. I can't wait to see how many doors will have the "boo" ghosts on them by Halloween. Too fun!

I hope you are all enjoying the fall season and all the activities that abound with your families!

To the beach

Well, tomorrow we are off on our journey to the beach. First we will drive to Richmond, VA and stay the night with our friend, Kay. Then we will drive the remaining distance on Saturday to Topsail Island, NC. It truly is a serene place. It's very quiet and we do love it. As the kids grow older, it will seem less interesting to them, but for me, it is perfect.

For this trip, I hope for good weather, an easy drive (to and fro), good times, good food, some relaxing and lots of good comraderie with family and friends. This is always a fun trip, and this year will be too, no doubt. I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about upon our return.

4th of July

Happy Fourth of July! We're doing something slightly unusual today, as this is traditionally a day spent with the family together. Matt took John down into DC today, to spend the day and night on Matt's parents' boat, which they have docked at a marina downtown for the weekend. John was so excited to 1) see the fireworks and 2) spend the night on the boat. Neither of these are things he has done before. So, it could be a long night for the adults with him, but it also could be a great experience for all. I'm glad that he's getting to do this and hope that the weather cooperates so they might even get over to the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival today too. I can't wait to hear how it all goes.

Meanwhile, Kara and I are enjoying a quiet day at home together. She's napping now, then we're headed over to a barbeque/party given by some friends, followed by returning home with my best friend, Anne, and enjoying dinner and drinks with maybe some smaller neighborhood fireworks after Kara's bedtime. All in all, a good day for everyone.

I hope you're having a Happy 4th of July, whatever you may be doing!