thanksgiving: the school version

Amelia had a Thanksgiving lunch at her school. Some of the 6th grade boys were all dressed up and stood outside the school to greet the parents. We had to wait forever in line and the food was, well, school lunch. But Amelia was so excited to have us there.

At Elsa's preschool, the class performed some songs for the parents. One of the girls in her class puked all over right before they started so the rug had to be hauled out. Elsa was singing nicely until the kid next to her tried to put her hat back on and wouldn't stop messing with it. He pushed it into her eyes and she spent the rest of the performance not singing and trying to hold back tears (see video below). It was sad.

Oliver turns ONE!

Oliver turned one on Saturday and we celebrated with a trip to the zoo. We did the ceremonial "turning around of the car seat" before we left and he was very excited about his new view. (Um, we're ignoring the new recommendations to keep your child rear facing until they're 2.) After the zoo we came home for presents and cake. The girls were far more involved in the actual opening of the presents and had just as much fun as Oliver. He loves owls (probably because his room is filled with them) and loves to make the owl sound so I made him an owl cake. I saw something online and made a few alterations based on what I was able to find. This was actually my easiest birthday cake yet. The hardest part was finding all of the components.

Oliver has the best laugh and the cutest toothy smile. He loves to eat anything. He adores his big sisters. He likes to dance whenever he hears music and LOVES Yo Gabba Gabba. He's still obsessed with the toilet, although the dishwasher comes in a close second. He squeals with excitement whenever he takes a bath. And he loves any variation of peek-a-boo. We love our little Ollie!

The girls made baby owls.

an evening with my dad.

My dad was in Pennsylvania last week for work and drove down to our house to spend the evening before flying out of Baltimore the next morning. The kids were so excited to have Grandpa here. The girls got to stay up late entertaining him with their various antics. And as usual, he restocked our fridge with delicious greek yogurt, cheese, and other dairy delights. Thanks for the visit Dad!

meadowlark botanical gardens

Last Monday was a beautiful, warm fall day and since Amelia only has a half day of school on Mondays, we decided to spend the afternoon at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. I remember it being really pretty in the fall but we had already missed most of the color. The kids loved feeding the ducks and geese. They have a really cute childrens garden with a fantastic giant tea set made out of wire. There was also a fun maze through a meadow. The girls carried tall pieces of grass with them while they ran through so I could see where they were.

the evolution of fall.

As I type this post, it's rainy and cold outside and all of the trees in our yard are bare. But I would like to remember it as it was just a few days ago. I love the fire yellow tree we have in our front yard. And even though I was sad to see the leaves come down, they made the grass so pretty. And our Japanese Maple is spectacular with its dark red leaves. Even my garbage cans look beautiful when the leaves come down. 

I loved looking out my dining room windows and seeing this reflection in the car.

dumbarton oaks.

Ben and I finished up our mini vacation with a trip to Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown. It has been on my to-do list for years and I kept waiting to go in the spring when the blossoms are supposed to be really beautiful there. But WOW. This place was incredible with the fall colors. The gardens are huge and lovely and interesting. I was literally gasping every time we turned a corner. It was so fun to explore. The late afternoon light was incredible and the tops of the trees looked like they were on fire. I couldn't believe how many flowers and plants were blooming in rich fall colors. I'm sad I waited this long to discover this place. I'm excited to take the kids back so they can explore the nooks and crannies. Although it was quite luxurious to just stroll around with Ben. If we hadn't just done family photos elsewhere, this would be a great spot. Maybe in the spring...