National Harbor

On Friday night we headed over to the National Harbor which is only about a 5 minute drive from our house thanks to a fabulous new 12-lane bridge. It was festive but absolutely freezing, which explains why we were the only people walking around. They have a big Christmas tree and lights near the pier. We warmed up inside the big convention center which had a huge suspended Christmas tree and a fountain show as well as some trains.






Sorry Elsa.


You just can't make this kid angry.






Warming up with hot Krispy Kreme donuts.

A series of unfortunate events...

It started out as a quick trip to Costco to pick up mainly one item that could only be found at Costco. We arrived with just enough time to shop and get home for lunch. I got the kids loaded up in the shopping cart and stopped at the entrance to pull out my Costco card to show the "door guard" that I was a legitimate customer. My wallet was not in my bag. I had left it in another bag that I used the night before. This never happens. There was nothing to do but load the kids back in the car and drive all the way home and retrieve my wallet. It should be noted that Costco is not close to my house. We returned, with wallet, and I loaded the kids in the cart and proceeded to do my shopping. We enjoyed the samples and then headed to the checkout with enough time to make it home for a late lunch. I opened my wallet to pay and my debit card was missing. Of course it was missing. Costco only takes a debit card (or cash or check but who really carries that around) or their own American Express card. I called Ben to call the bank and cancel my card in case it had been stolen and then I was escorted to the service desk where I had to resort to applying for an American Express card and then returned to the checkout and went through the whole process of checking out again.

We returned home and I got the kids inside and fed and down for naps. I got distracted with various tasks and about 2 hours after we returned home, I realized that I never brought in my Costco groceries. Some of it may have spoiled, but we're eating it anyway.

I found my debit card in one of Amelia's signature piles. When questioned about it, she replied "Oh, yeah, that's my pile of cards."

An Inconvenient Tooth.

Elsa's first two teeth arrived this week!


Okay. So they're a little hard to capture on camera. But we love that smile.

Festival of Lights

Annual tradition brings tears (not of joy) to children's eyes.

We attended our annual church Christmas party last night. After we got the spiritual side of Christmas from the children performing the nativity, it was time for Santa's arrival. A long line of parents waited to stick their kids on Santa's lap and capture the result on camera. This is the first year that we attempted this with Amelia, and she was not entirely thrilled. I think Santa is best experienced as a jolly old image in your mind rather than a big white beard in your face.


While it appears that Amelia is thinking of what she would like for Christmas, she's really just avoiding eye contact with Santa. Her response after the experience was to the point...."I don't like Santa."


Where am I? What is happening? Dad, don't leave me here.


There's mom. She'll save me. Santa still can't coax a word out of Amelia.

Miniatures. Edible and otherwise.

We took the metro downtown this afternoon and met Ben at the U.S. Botanic Garden to see the "Windows to Wonderland" exhibit. There are all these amazing miniature replicas of D.C. landmarks made out of plant materials. They also have some pretty elaborate trains which Amelia loved.







We always love to stop at the cafe in the American Indian museum for fry bread and Mexican hot chocolate. Mmmmm.



Amelia had fun chasing these ducks. I liked the little bag she created for camel using Elsa's hat.

We strolled over to the outdoor holiday market near Chinatown and browsed the local wares. Miguel's Magnificent Miniature Donuts fresh out of the fryer were divine. Yes, that's right, we had fry bread and donuts in the same afternoon.



Amelia was not so much a fan of these giant holiday characters.


We stopped in the National Portrait Gallery to warm up a bit and then headed home...Elsa promptly fell asleep on the metro.

Virginia Beach

The day after Thanksgiving we made our fourth annual trip to Virginia Beach to see the holiday lights display on the boardwalk. It turned out to be the perfect family trip. The girls had a great time and did an amazing job in the car, despite that fact that it took us 3 1/2 hours to get from Richmond to D.C. (about 90 miles) on Saturday afternoon. I-95...grrrrr.


Amelia thought our hotel room balcony was pretty cool. We had a great view of the Christmas lights at night.









The weather was great on Friday so after we got our usual family photos taken in the photo booth on the pier, we rented a bike and managed to rig the car seat to the front so we could all enjoy the ride. Amelia loved building sand castles on the beach and could have spent hours there.




The hotel pool was a highlight for Amelia.



We went out for pizza and then headed to the holiday lights display which was great as usual, and especially fun to see Amelia get so excited about the different lights. Elsa was asleep through the whole thing.


It was a little colder Saturday morning, but we still enjoyed a nice walk along the beach. We were able to stop in Williamsburg on the way home and visit our good friends the Dyckmans. Amelia had fun playing with Ethan and they were kind enough to share their yummy Thanksgiving leftovers with us.




Chasing birds on the beach.





Elsa in her usual position, taking it all in.

Thanksgiving

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving week. Ben was able to take the whole week off of work and hang out with us. He did a ton of yard work and some house maintenance but still managed to have fun doing a few other things.


Ben took the girls jogging one afternoon. This is the look I usually get from Amelia when I try and take her picture now. Elsa is still willing to smile for me every time.




We attended "Feast Day" at Amelia's preschool. She was so excited when she saw her dad show up at school. The class performed some songs for us (Amelia prefers to remain silent...she does not perform on command) and we had a Thanksgiving lunch.


We spent Thanksgiving with several friends and enjoyed a delicious meal and good company. Amelia loved playing with all the kids that were there but decided that her Thanksgiving meal would only consist of two rolls. Elsa slept through most of the good stuff, but I did treat her to some pumpkin pie which she loved. Apparently, I was too busy eating and did not take many pictures.