First Christmas in Virginia

 Nativity Set...Baby Jesus is her favorite!

 There was no shortage of Angry Birds this year

 Brad asked for a "bath sheet" which is huge!

 Magna-Tiles are fantastic!

 Where in the world is Alex Ross?

Before leaving for Ohio, we celebrated an early Christmas here at home in Virginia with the kids.  The kids enjoyed exchanging with each other and Mom and Dad.  We spent the rest of the day in our pajamas, playing new games and baking.  I think this is what other people do on Christmas Day but we are always running house to house visiting family on that day so this is our "Christmas Day".  The next day we packed up the car and headed west for Cincinnati!

Birthday Party Fun

One Saturday in December we had a slew of birthday parties and a Hannukah party.  This is the only picture from that day, taken by a friend with a fancy pants camera.

Second Grade Holiday Party

Did I post Alex's school picture this year?  He had retakes done so we didn't get them til December I think!

Class party days are the best!

The kids decorated cookies, played games, had a book exchange, and made fleece scarves!  What a fun afternoon at the elementary school!  I will say, this school has no shortage of parent volunteers...there were easily 15 parents scattered around the classroom helping the kids with that scarf project.  15 parents, one teacher, and 27 students makes for a tight classroom.  Alex was excited to show me their new table assignments, his desk (yikes!), introduce me to some of his classmates, and celebrate with his friends.



Holiday Tea

 

 

 Abby with her teachers Mrs. Love and Mrs. Clarke

Abby and her buddy Emerson

December was a busy month!  Abby's Holiday Tea was held in her preschool class.  A rare opportunity for parents to come into the classroom, listen to songs the children have learned, sit with them at their tables, and share a holiday treat.  Abby loved showing off her artwork around the classroom.  She's such a little social butterfly at school and really enjoys spending time with her friends.

Gingerbread Cookies

 Note, Abby insisted on bringing a purse to Adelyn and Nathan's house.

My friend Renee invited Abby over to make gingerbread cookies with her twins, Adelyn and Nathan.  Abby loved rolling out the dough, cutting the cookies, and decorating to her heart's content.  Renee has a higher tolerance for messy things than I do so we were so glad she invited us over!

US Botanic Garden Train Display

 Alex, Celia, Everett, Abby and Sammy at the Botanic Garden train display.

 There were detailed, little fairy "houses" carved into nooks in these trees. 

 Abby in front of the National Monument

At the suggestion of friends, we took the kids to see the model train display at the US Botanic Gardens in DC.  The entire train display is made of real plant materials and is quite impressive.  This is a very popular spot so be prepared to wait in line for a little bit.  There are beautiful replicas of many DC buildings, also made out of plant materials, placed throughout the gardens.  The kids got a kick out of exploring the plants and trees, watching the trains navigate the fairy displays, and being in the city in general.  We stopped over at the Air and Space museum across the street as well for a bit.

City Kids

The night of Brad's company party, Alex and Abby were lucky enough to spend the night in Washington, D.C., not far from where we were staying at The Mayflower.  Jackie and Scott treated the kids to a bus ride, smoothies, pizza, a house party, a visit to the dog park, movies, a popcorn party, did I miss anything??  They had a BLAST!  We are looking forward to seeing Jackie and Scott's new house in D.C. soon!

Family Day at Dance Class

Our little pumpkin had her first "family day" at dance class.  This is a little parks and rec ballet/tap class that she takes at the rec center at the end of our street (uber-convenient!).  She loves this!  They do 20 minutes of tap and 20 minutes of ballet.  At the last class, the parents were invited in to see what the kids had learned.  It was adorable on so many levels!  She is in this class again this winter session so we'll see if she learns anything new or if it is simply a repeat from the fall.  Either way, she loves going and her teacher Miss Angela is very good with the room full of little dancers!