Zoolights

Last night, we bundled up and headed into DC with our friends for Zoolights.  It was chilly and crowded, but we had a blast exploring the zoo at night!

 

Brunch with Santa

On Sunday, we  had a nice brunch with Santa at the clubhouse in my parent's neighborhood.  Although the boys have seen the train display for many years now, they were very intrigued by it this year!

 Andrew, what would you like for Christmas this year?  "I want an IPhone."  Ummmmm, no.

Christmas at Discovery

A few weeks ago, Santa visited Andrew at Discovery Station and he looks like he was a little surprised by Andrew's request!

 

I wonder if Andrew made the nice list again this year?????

 

Today, I attended three holiday parties with the boys (I'm exhausted).  Two at the elementary school and one at Discovery Station.  At the final party, Andrew's class performed several holiday songs, including Jingle Bells, Rudolph, Up on the Rooftop and Jingle Bell Rock. 

Winter break has officially begun.....

Christmas Play

Last Sunday we met up with my family at Reston Town Center.  After sampling all of the yummy PopTarts and a few shakes at Ted's Bulletin.....

we enjoyed a Christmas play.  This year we saw "Charlie Brown's Christmas" and the cast was all kids. 

 

The "snow" as we exited the play was a fun way to end the afternoon!

Winter Walk of LIghts

Last weekend, we celebrated Dan's birthday with his parents.  After dinner, we strolled through Meadowlark Gardens and enjoyed the beautiful lights!

This next photo just cracks me up!

Peekaboo!  Did the deer photobomb their photo?

Jingle Bell Jog

This year we decided to try out the Jingle Bell Jog which is hosted by our awesome HOA.  It was chilly, but thankfully, the rain held off until after the race ended.



Andrew and I ran the 1 mile Fun Run.  Here's Andrew with Frosty at the turn around point.

I forgot to track our time, but I would guess he ran the mile in approximately 9 to 10 minutes.  I was just so impressed that he never walked!

Dan and Nathan participated in the 5K.  We weren't quite sure how Nathan would do having never run anything close to that distance. 

Nathan did GREAT!  He crossed the finished line in 27:54 (faster than his mom has ever run a 5K) and he never stopped to walk.  Very impressive!

Holiday Parties

The holiday season is in full swing.  This past weekend, we celebrated on Friday night with our colleagues at Vaughan, Fincher & Sotelo.....

 

and then on Saturday night with our old friends and buddies from the boy's first (and best ever) home daycare.  It's hard to believe we drove to Lanka's house for about 5 years and it's already been over 2 years since we stopped going there.  Time sure has flown!

Another Belt for Nathan

In early December, Nathan was awarded in Green Stripe belt at Topkick.  Way to go!

 

Kicking off the Season at Mount Vernon

To kick-off the holiday season, we toured Mount Vernon with the Vaughans the day after Thanksgiving.  I can't remember the last time I was there.  The view of the river was beautiful and the museum was really interesting.  We'll have to head back sometime to enjoy more of the museum. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we spent Thanksgiving day with the Vaughans doing what you do on Thanksgiving...... eating and eating and then eating a little more.  It was a great day!

Family Workout

Sometime this summer (I've forgotten exactly when), a new Crossfit gym opened in our neighborhood.  I joined and have been really enjoying the challenging workouts.  On Thanksgiving morning, they hosted a family workout.  The boys enjoyed climbing to rope and lots of other exercises, except for maybe the burpees. 

Pilgrims and Indians

Just before Thanksgiving, Andrew's class at daycare entertained parents and families with several songs.  They even surprised us with some dancing!  In addition to the standard chicken dance moves, they also did some do-si-dos with their partners.  It was very cute and festive!

 

Why do Mosquitos Buzz....

In November, the 3rd graders at Cardinal Ridge Elementary put on the school's 1st music performance, "Why do Mosquitos Buzz in Peoples' Ears?".  The kids did a great job and Nathan, dressed as a sunbird, was excited to have a short speaking part.

Fall Sports

In early November, the fall season finally came to an end.  This year, Andrew wanted to try out Flag Football.  He was always so excited to go to his practices and games and tried his best.  He had awesome coaches who really made the season fun for the boys and their families. Andrew was recognized as "Rookie of the Year"!

Nathan decided to play Fall Baseball this year and Dan unexpectedly stepped in as Head Coach of the Sand Gnats.  A big change for this season was that the boys pitched the entire game!  Nathan really enjoyed playing catcher this season and is eager for baseball to start up again in the spring.