Snow Day

Well we finally got some snow to stick to the ground here. It isn't much like less then an inch and it barely covered the grass but the kids got a snow day off from school and they have been taking full advantage. The neighbor kids came out fully dressed in snow gear at 8:30 in the morning so Aidan who had been wanting to go out since he woke at 7am was not going to be denied any longer. So he played with them in the yard for a while sledding down our long driveway and then we went to their elementary school and went sledding down the giant hill. Now they are enjoying hot cocoa and cookies. Hoping to take advantage of the down day today and get some cleaning and maybe a nap in.

Here is a video of the kids sledding. They had a blast.

The Zoo

In an effort to clean and purge Aidan's room of the mess of toys he has in there I helped him make a zoo for all his stuffed animals out of a box we had lying around. It was so simple and he loves playing with it now and it is so easy to clean them all up now because I just throw them in the box. They are always escaping and zookeeper Aidan has to go round them up. Zookeeper Aidan also cleans out there box everyday with a pastry brush he says is a broom. He certainly has a great imagination.

Ice Skating

We went ice skating at the Reston Town Center this weekend. The first few minutes were pretty rough with lots of falls but then both boys figured it out pretty quickly and had a great time. They didn't want to stop and are already talking about going again next weekend. It is hard for these southern kids who only see ice a few times a year to really appreciate ice skating but it is growing on them. We got some hot cocoa during the few hours we were there which is the boys new favorite drink. Then we all went to dinner at a sports bar in the town center. It was a great day and we were all tired at the end.

Pinewood Derby

This weekend was the Pinewood Derby at Cub Scouts. Nick worked hard for the last few weeks with his Daddy and our neighbor Mr. Geoff to create a nice car. He did ok in the first round getting mostly second places but the next round he got smoked but some pretty fancy cars. He had fun hanging out with his friends anyways and eating donuts for breakfast but he says we really need to figure out how to get the wheels on better. Maybe we will have it all figured out by the time Aidan gets around to doing a car.

Nick at Basketball

Nick is playing basketball right now. He is on the Virginia Tech Hokies and is number 13. He is having a good time and learning a lot. The games can be a little painful to watch still at this age but it is so fun to see how excited their little faces get when they finally score. A high scoring game is 12 points. Nick is usually the point guard but we are trying to get him to shoot more because he is pretty accurate.

Roll Tide

We enjoyed watching one of our favorite teams make it to the National Championship again. The boys got new shirts for Christmas from Grandma which they have proudly been wearing everywhere. We made some special treats for game night which included a pan of scotcheroos which we made into upright posts and a football and helmet.

Happy New Years

Happy New Years! We had a wonderful time on New Years Eve with our amazing neighbors, the Combs family. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such great people. We had a wonderful spread of great food and good drinks and the kids had a blast running around and being silly all night. All of the kids except baby Charlotte made it until midnight which is a first for my kids. They have never ever seen the ball drop. We usually go to bed long before midnight. Aidan was a little bit of wreck as he was practically asleep right before midnight and we had to carry him home to bed he was so grumpy. Thankfully, they compensated and slept in until almost 10 which was a great way to start the new year. Aidan helped me make donuts from scratch with my new donut maker and they turned out pretty good. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and resting.

This year as we look forward to all that God has in store for our family I am hoping to remain mindful of all the many blessings He has given me and make an effort to show that gratitude to my family and others more. May God continue to bless us all in 2013.

Shrek the Halls Ice Festival

We went to Shrek the Halls which is this ice festival at National Harbor over the Christmas break. It is basically all these ice sculptures based on the Shrek movies and these castles you walk through and these ice slides you get to ride down. It reminded me of the St. Paul Winter Carnival when they used to build those big castles except it is all inside. My boys didn't really enjoy it at all because they were so cold. It was supposedly somewhere between 12-17 degrees but it felt much colder then that in there. So basically we are in big trouble if and when we ever move back North. After we made it through the exhibits we had hot chocolate and went across the street to the Gaylord Hotel where they had train rides and gingerbread cookie making. That is where the big X-mas tree with the fountain is from.