Santa Visit 2013

We went with the Grahams to see Santa this morning and eat breakfast with the jolly old man. Luke insisted on going first. He hopped right on Santa's lap and told him he wants a race car book for Christmas. When it was Jack's turn, he explained to Santa that he would like a marble track and that it is really important that it have a teeter totter. As we were leaving, Luke had a good, old fashioned temper tantrum which isn't like him. Once he calmed down enough to tell me what was wrong, I understood that he thought he was going to take the race car book home with him right away. He didn't know he was going to have to wait until Christmas morning. Poor baby. We get to see Santa one more time at the Botanical Gardens later this month, so I am sure there will be more pictures. Bear with me; this is my favorite time of the year to be a mom.

Happy Preschool Thanksgiving

Washington D.C.

John planned an overnight trip for our family to DC. We visited the Museum of Natural History where the boys got to see dinosaur bones and the Air and Space Museum. We also saw the White House, the Capitol, and from our hotel room we could see the Washington Monument. Luke was thrilled with the view of all the airplanes flying past our hotel window and spent a lot of time with his window pressed against the glass. The boys had a really good time, travelled better than ever before, and saw important government buildings and monuments. It was a wonderful trip for all of us. 

Sun in their eyes, but it's our boys with the White House so I'm posting anyway. 

The White House

Going to see dinosaur bones at The Museum of Natural History

A boy walked up to this squirrel and all but touched it. The squirrel never moved, but the boy chickened out. The squirrels in DC are friendly.

From our hotel window. Gorgeous view.

Sweet boys sharing a bed.

Haha, Luke could NOT keep his hands off the snack bar. That Kit Kat ended up on our bill twice, and he didn't even get to eat it. Luckily the staff understood the temptation and removed it from our bill. Twice. 

Watching airplanes.

Watching airplanes together

Washington Monument. (Airplane in the background that didn't pass without Luke pointing it out).

The Capitol

Boys with the Capitol in the background.

Family picture in front of the Capitol.

Jack's First Ride Stats

Jack and I hit the trails at Freedom Park in Williamsburg today. We took our time and enjoyed the fall scenery. I used Google Tracks to record the adventure, and here are the results.

Saturday Hike

John found too pretty of a place to not put the camera on a post, set the timer, and see what we could get. 

Blowing Out The Candle

Luke Is 3 Years Old!

My baby is three years old today! We celebrated over the weekend with family and friends. Grandpa and Grandma made the trip from Nashville. And, all of our favorite neighborhood pals came to celebrate Luke's big day. We had a lot of fun meeting one of Jane's cousins and her husband from the area as well as one of Marion's classmates from West Point and his wife. 

Grandma and Jack were busy the morning of the party making some delicious cupcakes. Grandpa set up the "agility course" that the kids loved. Luke's favorite moment of the party was when our adult neighbor gave the agility course a go. His belly laughs made all the party preparations worth it. 

After the agility course, the kids adopted a puppy and took it to the vet for a check-up before the adoption was final. 

This party was so fun to plan, and I know both of the boys had an awesome time.