Rainbow Fluff and Admiral visit the farm.

A few Saturdays ago I wanted to get the girls out of the house for the afternoon while Oliver and Grandma rested and Ben and his dad worked on the big shed project in the backyard. The girls weren't too excited about leaving until I suggested that they could each bring a stuffed animal and take pictures of their animal on the farm. Best suggestion ever. They loved running around Oxon Hill Farm and posing their animals for pictures. Amelia brought Rainbow Fluff, her koala, and Elsa brought Admiral (pronounced Ad-MY-ral), her penguin. I think they took nearly 200 photos on my phone.

A small sampling:

The weather was gorgeous and despite predictions of rain, it turned out to be a lovely day. So lovely that ice cream was in order so we picked up Shamrock shakes for everyone on the way home.

birthday + northern lights + a lot of food

The girls were so excited about my birthday which made it extra fun. They really wanted to give me breakfast in bed so they helped Ben prepare it and then surprised me. Amelia was inches away from setting the tray down on the bed but it was just too heavy for her and she lost control and an entire glass of orange juice spilled all over the bed. Needless to say, we moved breakfast to the dining room table. But at least I got freshly washed sheets for my birthday. I went out to lunch with Ben and Elsa and Oliver and then we had a little party in the backyard when Amelia got home from school. The girls did a performance for me (see video below) and I opened some gifts. They had also helped Ben make a lemon cake and they presented me with many homemade cards. Amelia even wrote a poem for me.

 

Later in the evening Ben and I were able to go out. We went to Ted's Bulletin for dinner (and devoured the most delicious s'mores shake). We had to get a few of their famous homemade pop-tarts to enjoy later as a late night snack. (And they were delicious.)

We stopped by the Kennedy Center to see the Northern Lights which were part of the Nordic Cool festival (you can read about our earlier visit in this post). They projected lights onto the exterior of the building to try and replicate the Northern Lights. It was pretty cool.

Later in the week, a generous friend offered to watch the kids so Ben and I could go out for lunch for one more birthday celebration. It's always fun to go on a date in the middle of the day. We headed to one of my favorite Old Town spots, Fontaine Caffe and Creperie. I was in love with my savory crepe (the Farme'rs Market which was loaded with delicious things like zucchini, tomatoes, spinach and feta). We couldn't leave without having a sweet crepe too so we split the Wild Berry crepe (fresh strawberries, strawberry ice cream, almonds, and a raspberry sauce). And just for good measure, we stopped into La Madeleine for a few more treats to go. I got a free slice of chocolate cake for my birthday and then we tried a few mini tarts which were delicious. And then I'm pretty sure I went home and fell into a food coma.

huntley meadows

We needed a second adventure to continue enjoying the beautiful weather so we met up with Jessica and her kids in the evening for a stroll through Huntley Meadows. The kids loved looking for animals and pretended to be scientists.

 

At some point during the day, Ben passed by an Office Depot that was relocating and everything in the store was for sale. So he bought the check out counter. And somehow fit it in the back of his car. No exciting makeovers in store...Ben put it in the shed to use as a work bench. Not a bad find for $20.

national colonial farm

A few Saturdays ago we had gorgeous weather. Ben was busy all day with a big project in our backyard so I decided to take the kids to National Colonial Farm in Maryland to enjoy the warm temperatures and blue skies. As usual, we had the place to ourselves and the kids had fun running through the farm.

 

The highlight of our visit was hanging out on the banks of the river. Oliver threw rocks into the water for at least 30 minutes straight. The girls started collecting shells which quickly evolved into the creation of a restaurant called the Dolphin Diner. I enjoyed relaxing on a log and watching the kids play while I was served lots of interesting dishes by Amelia and Elsa.

(A huge eagle's nest. With an eagle perched inside.)

(Throwing rocks toward George Washington's Mount Vernon which can be seen on the other side.)