Mulberry Street

Genevieve made a Star Wars blaster from a balloon, pipe cleaners and other craft items. Check it out. YouTube Video

For Christmas, Eric got Genevieve and I tickets to The Nutcracker, performed by the Washington Ballet. It was a great excuse to dress up, buy cotton candy and pretend to be fancy city girls. The costumes and set were splendid and the dancing was magnificent. It was so fun to take Genevieve to her first ballet. She absolutely loved the opera glasses, and would have watched the entire performance through them, had I let her. We are so lucky to have such a thoughtful daddy and husband! Thanks Eric!

I am grateful for the one-on-one time I have had with my kiddos this weekend.

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Just trying my hand at family photos for a friend in Old Town Fairfax.  It's fun to try out an urban setting to mix things up.  I love the texture that brick lends to the photograph.

Benjamin is in one of the best baby stages.  He smiles all the time.  He is growing hair.  He is finding his voice, cooing and laughing - mostly on demand.  I can't believe he is already wearing size 3 diapers, but with all those blowouts, I had to move him up.  Sometimes I get sad to see him growing, but I feel okay about it since he brings so much joy into our home. YouTube Video

I have often thought about how best to describe Emory's personality.  If I had to pick one word to sum him up, it would be obstinate.  Hands down.  I love that little boy but he causes a lot of frustration around the house on a regular basis, no thanks to his insistence that right is actually left or that holding up three fingers represents the number four or that breakfast should be served at 4am, and no one, I mean NO ONE, can convince him otherwise.    When I came across the book Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children by Linda Ashman and illustrations by Nancy Carptenter, I laughed out loud and then cringed.  Emory's temperament is very accurately described in the poems...

Genevieve and I had a bit of a disagreement when I told her she needed to do her homework. She stormed up to her bedroom and then began tossing notes down the stairs. "I do not like you." See frowny face. "If you do not let me not do my home work... ...I won't be nice." My note explaining that it is my job to help her learn and that I will love her no matter what. Genevieve's reply... "But I don't want to do my homework." This does NOT get me excited for her teenage years.  Nope.  Not. at. all.

Genevieve the willing participant and Emory the innocent bystander, struck by leaves.

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We invited ourselves on a walk in the woods with our friends, Melissa and Emily, and their dog Max.  We crunched through leaves, watched the kids chase after Max, discovered a bird nest, and witnessed Emily gracefully leap over the creek.  It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and we enjoyed the cool autumn air along Difficult Run.    The kids liked racing leaves down the mini rapids while Eric and I enjoyed the wonderful company.  We all agreed that Max was great entertainment.  Max showed off his muscles as he raced along the bank, weaving between us with superb maneuvering and speed.  He is a wonder to watch and the kids laughed and laughed and laughed.  It was all just right.

As you can see, we went for a Star Wars theme this Halloween.  It was really fun to dress up as a family and even fun to make costumes (I may have found my inner-sewer).  Eric went as padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (notice his braid),  Benjamin went as Yoda, Emory went as Darth Vader, and Genevieve went as Princess Leia.  I dressed up as a cowgirl for our trunk or treat, but then pulled together my own Star Wars-themed costume last minute.  If you can't guess, I am Shmi Skywalker - Anakin's mother from Episode I.  (A stretch?  Maybe.  There aren't many female characters and Leia was already taken...  Though, with our little Vader's personality, it seems very fitting.)  Eric helped the kids carve pumpkins, we got lots of candy, and we had a great time, despite the cold and rain.  Happy Halloween! Trunk or Treat Trick or Treating