Thanksgiving 2012

One stubborn bird

 Mimi and Paw Paw drove up from Alabama to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.  Mimi made her usual spread of family favorites: macaroni-and-cheese, rice casserole, lettuce salad, sausage balls and charlotte rouge (or, as Vivian calls it, “charlie rouge”).  We tried roasting a turkey for the first time this year (in the past, we’ve had HoneyBaked Ham or purchased a smoked turkey from Rocklands).  We’ll never know whether it was our oven (which has been acting up) or the bird (which may not have been fully thawed), but despite following Mimi Pauline’s instructions to the letter, our turkey would not cook.  Eventually, we decided to stop waiting (Paw Paw was getting anxious) and eat without it.  When it eventually finished cooking (hours later), it was actually quite tasty.  Ah well, better luck next time (with a better oven).  At least the stress of trying to cook the bird gave us a good excuse to have some extra wine at dinner.

Below are some pictures of Vivian's birthday trip to the American Girl Store in Tysons Corner on Black Friday (see Vivian's 3rd Birthday).

 

Vivian’s 3rd Birthday

Vivian had four (4!) separate birthday celebrations this year.  The first—her official birthday party--was at MoBu Kids, an indoor play facility in Falls Church.  Vivian’s birthday falls over Thanksgiving Day week, so we had to schedule the party several weeks in advance.  Vivian and her classmates (and special guest Sara Powell) enjoyed romping around the “play studio” and participating in the special party games (like bouncing plastic balls on a parachute).  Interestingly, the little boys in Vivian’s class were reluctant (at first) to enter the play studio—it was the girls who took the lead with running, jumping and climbing.  Afterward, we had cake  and snacks in the party room.  Vivian surprised us by requesting a “fairies” birthday cake (we were sure she would want Cinderella).  Henry seemed a little lost during the celebrations but kept himself occupied by climbing the rock wall.

Vivian’s second celebration was closer to her actual birthday and at school, when we brought cupcakes for her classmates and teachers.  Then there was the third celebration when Mimi and Paw Paw visited over Thanksgiving.  Elise, Mimi Joanne and Vivian went for lunch at the American Girl Bistro in Tyson’s Corner, and afterward, Vivian had her new Bitty Twin’s hair styled at the American Girl Salon and shopped for doll accessories.  Actually, Elise did most of the shopping.  Bryant has decided that the American Girl store is a very, very dangerous place.  Finally, we had our own private birthday celebration on the 24th, with just mommy, daddy and big brother Henry.  Vivian got so accustomed to having parties, she seemed a little sad and confused when we explained that there would be no more celebrations until next year.  Below are some pictures from the party at Mobu Kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween 2012

We weren’t sure if we’d get to trick-or-treat this year, but things were mostly back to normal (see Frankenstorm) by Halloween night.  Henry decided to dress as Darth Vader this year.  He’s still a little young to understand/ appreciate Star Wars, but he knows some of the characters and seems particularly fond of intergalactic villains.  Going as Darth Vader also was a clever way to convince mom and dad to buy him a light saber, which quickly got confiscated after repeatedly terrorizing his sister.  Vivian decided to go as Minnie Mouse—again.  We upgraded her costume with a fancier dress and gloves; otherwise, it was recycled mouse ears.  Below are the kids just before heading out for trick-or-treating.  Notice the spooky yard decorations in the background.  Henry loves Halloween and insists that we add a few more props every year.

Frankenstorm

We seem to be magnets for hurricanes.  In 2011, we were in Virginia when Hurricane Irene churned up the East Coast (see Earthquakes, Birthdays and Other Natural Disasters).  Last August, we were in Alabama when Hurricane Isaac menaced the Gulf Coast (see Labor Day 2012).  This October, we were watching the weather once again, as Hurricane Sandy threatened the mid-Atlantic.  Fortunately, none of these storms brought much damage to our immediate area.  Sandy veered to the north before making landfall and largely spared the Washington region.  We did get lots of wind and rain, and eventually lost power for a day and a half.  Bryant has been through several hurricanes, but never one this cold.  To keep warm, we built a fire in the living room and sipped hot coffee from a neighbor’s house (got to love those whole-house generators).  Just as it started to get really chilly inside, the power was restored.  Not that the kids seemed to mind—while we were huddled in our sweatshirts and jackets, they were running around in PJs and bare feet.  Storms are fun when you’re three and five.

Determination

Elise completed the Marine Corps Marathon on October 20th.  Until the last moment, we weren’t sure if she would be able to go through with the race.  Elise injured her leg in the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon a few weeks prior.  Then she came down with strep throat the weekend before the marathon.  But she was feeling better by race day and decided to go ahead.  Bryant left the kids with some friends (thank you, Brad and Tonia) and darted around Washington and northern Virginia cheering on Elise. By the end of the race, Elise was definitely feeling sore, but she finished the 26.2 miles in good time and was smiling when Bryant caught up with her at the finish line (see picture below).  It’s no small feat to run 26.2 miles, and we were all enormously proud of the great job mommy did in her race.  And thank goodness, no more early morning runs on the weekend!

Pumpkin Picking 2012

After experimenting with another local farm last year (and feeling sorely disappointed), we returned to Butler’s Orchard in Gaithersburg, MD for our annual fall festival/pumpkin picking excursion.  Below are some pictures from our day out.  Vivian was excited to get her face painted (again), and Henry had a blast on the burlap sack slides.  To our surprise, both kids also really enjoyed a little hobby horse play area.  Sometimes the simplest attractions are the most fun.  After a BBQ lunch, we headed home to “carve” our pumpkins.  Henry made a pirate jack-o-lantern and Vivian opted for, what else, a princess.

 

 

 

  

Oktoberfest

In honor of Oktoberfest and Elise’s Saxon heritage, we endeavored to cook an all-German menu during the month of October.  We didn’t get to make all the dishes we wanted (as you’ll see, it was a busy month), but we did cook: rouladen, wiener schnitzel, potato pancakes, bratkartoffeln, rice pudding and a really delicious (if we do say so ourselves) homemade apple strudel.  We’ve wanted to make rouladen—thin slices of beef rolled around a sour pickle with mustard, bacon and onions—ever since a friend’s father (a native German) served it at a dinner party last year.  Our version wasn’t as tasty as his, but still pretty good.  Here’s the recipe we used.  Don’t fear the pickle—it really is delicious wrapped up with the other ingredients!