Halloween got off to a shaky start when Bryant got stuck in heavy traffic and was late picking up the kids (next year we’ll take the afternoon off and avoid the holiday rush). After dashing home and scarfing down dinner, we hit the neighborhood to make up for some lost trick-or-treating ground. Henry went as a dragon/dinosaur (his interpretation of his costume varied from moment to moment) and Vivian went as Ariel (from The Little Mermaid). It didn’t take long before both kids had collected more candy than they needed (we always end up throwing out much of it after one too many sugar highs). Above are the kids dressed and ready to collect their loot.
The next day, the children at St. Mary’s participated in the school’s annual All Saints Day parade through Old Town. This required us to select and design a saint costume for Henry. He went as St. Columba of Scotland, the origin of his middle name Callum (see The Origin of “Callum”). Unlike your run of the mill Halloween getup, designing a saint’s costume requires some work and planning. We ordered a white nativity gown from Amazon as the base and then bought green fabric for the vestment. We used iron-on appliques—a Celtic cross and two doves (Columba means “dove of the church”)—to decorate the front. And since St. Columba is not well known in these parts, we stenciled his name on the back. As a final touch, we added some wooden rosary beads that Elise found at the local costume store. Overall, the end result wasn’t half bad. Several folks commented that Henry looked like a “natural” as a man of the cloth. Above is a picture of our little saint and below is a video of his class’s procession through Old Town.
Vivi followed in her brother’s footsteps and participated in an afterschool soccer program this fall. Despite the constant tormenting, she truly idolizes her big brother and wants to do whatever he is doing. Sometimes this leads to disappointment, like when she tries to join Henry and the other boys on the playground and they tease her. Elise keeps telling her that it will be different one day—then they’ll be begging her to show them some attention.
Vivi was amazingly focused on the soccer field—she listened attentively to the coach, followed instructions and never got distracted, pretty much the exact opposite of Henry and his friends during practice. We’re never sure whether to attribute this difference to having an older sibling or just being a girl. She was so proud when she received her trophy on the last day of soccer (see photo below). It is now displayed on her bookcase, next to the tutus and tiaras. Vivi also is continuing with ballet lessons, although this year she was old enough to participate without mommy or daddy. She comes home every Monday night, enthusiastically jeté-ing through the house. Below is a picture of Vivi and her friends from school as they prepare for ballet class.
Below are pictures from our annual fall excursion to Butler’s Orchard, near Germantown, MD. As always, the kids had a great time picking pumpkins, playing in the hayloft and riding the sack slides. In the evening we decorated our pumpkins (Frankenstein for Henry and a princess for Vivian) and carved a jack-o-lantern for the first time this year, at Henry’s insistence. A great day out and a fun night around the kitchen table for all of us.
Columbus Day weekend provided a quick family getaway to Philadelphia, PA. We considered visiting New York but decided that the Big Apple deserved more than a few days. By comparison, Philadelphia was closer and a little more manageable. We departed Friday night in a torrential rainstorm and didn’t arrive until close to midnight. Fortunately, the kids are good car sleepers. The next day we hit the Please Touch Museum. We had heard good things about this children’s museum, and it did not disappoint. Located in the spectacular Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park (site of the 1876 Centennial Exposition), the museum is HUGE. We started downstairs at the Alice in Wonderland exhibit and then made our way through the construction zone, shoe store, supermarket and, in a strange bit of foreshadowing, children’s hospital. After lunch, we rode the antique carousel and sampled the waterworks and space exhibits. After a full day of exploring, we were preparing to head home when Henry’s eye suddenly collided with his sister’s hand. After much drama, we decided to visit the emergency room, just to be safe. Fortunately, the real CHOP was nearby. It turns out Henry had scratched his cornea. He was fine but in considerable discomfort. It didn’t help that we had to wait several hours before being seen. After an extended odyssey to find an after hours pharmacy and secure some dinner, we finally arrived back at the hotel, exhausted from our evening detour. With the help of some children’s Motrin, Henry was back on his feet and ready to visit the Philadelphia Zoo the next day. We have a nice (free) zoo in Washington, DC, but we all agreed that the Philly zoo was far superior. Not only were the exhibits nicer (we actually managed to see some animals), but there were lots of other activities along the way, like paddle boats, camel rides, and several playgrounds. Henry had a particularly memorable encounter with a king cobra in the reptile house—the snake slithered over and arched its back right in front of Henry. For her part, Vivian was content with a pony ride. After another full day, we headed back to the hotel thoroughly satisfied with our back-to-back adventures in Philadelphia—so much so that we could almost overlook (if not forget) the minor unpleasantness in between. Below are pictures from the weekend.
After years of talking about it, we finally went apple picking this fall. Friends suggested two orchards in Markham, Virginia—Stribling and Hartland. Both are literally right off I-66, just before Front Royal. We chose Stribling, if only because they had a slightly better website. Apparently it was a good choice, because the orchard was packed. We weren’t entirely sure what to do, so we just parked and started filling up bags of fruit. Eventually someone handed us an apple picker, which was much easier than raising the kids on our shoulders—although we did have to supervise use of the apple picker, lest Henry and Vivian whack themselves or some poor stranger in the head. The setting was lovely, with picturesque views of the Shenandoah mountains in the distance. In less than an hour, we had filled several bags (those bushels fill up quickly when you have two eager young helpers). We decided to quit before things got completely out of hand (how were we going to eat all that fruit?) and had a picnic lunch in a clearing near the orchard. Everyone agreed it was an enjoyable outing and well worth a return visit next year. Below are pictures from our apple-picking adventure:
Click here to find out what we did with the surplus apples.
Mimi and Paw Paw visited at the end of August (just as Henry was starting school) and joined us on a little mini-vacation to the Shenandoah Valley. We rented a cabin outside of Luray, Virginia over Labor Day weekend and took in the local sights. First up was Luray Caverns, which was much bigger (and busier) than any of us expected. It took over an hour to walk through the meandering cave complex. The next day, while Mimi and Paw Paw explored Skyline Drive, we visited the indoor waterpark at Massanutten Resort near Harrisonburg. The waterpark was quite nice—comparable to Great Wolf Lodge in size and attractions. Henry really enjoyed the lazy river while Vivian had fun splashing around in the toddler frog pond. Back at the cabin, we fished in the nearby lake (Vivi caught her first fish and was extremely proud), watched for deer on the front porch, and made s’mores around a campfire. The cabin also came equipped with a hot tub, which we used for an evening soak under the stars. Sadly, our weekend away, and summer itself, came to an end all too quickly, and we were soon back on the road to Washington. The kids asked when we could return to the cabin. Maybe next time, we’ll visit in the fall when the leaves are turning.
Henry started Kindergarten at St. Mary’s in Old Town Alexandria in August. After several weeks of ordering uniforms, assembling school supplies and picking out the perfect backpack (dinosaurs!), the big day finally arrived. Henry got to preview his new school on his birthday. Elise reported that he was a little shy upon meeting his new teacher—Ms. Guidry—but warmed up when he spied some former classmates from St. Anthony’s. On Monday morning, we all drove Henry to school together, and Elise escorted him inside. Henry seemed apprehensive but readily joined his class when the school bell rang. Below is a video of Elise and Henry walking into school together:
We weren’t sure what to expect (having had some rough transitions in the past—see Transitions), but Henry managed to do just fine—much better, in fact, than we anticipated. When Bryant picked him up after the first day, he seemed happy and even a little excited about the start of school. One difference we noticed right away: Henry really misses his afternoon nap and is exhausted at nighttime. During the first few weeks, he was asking to go to bed right after dinner. Of course, starting a new school has been an adjustment for all of us. Unlike daycare, we can’t arrive late, which means a concerted effort from everyone to get out the door on time. And then there is the uniform rotation to keep track of: PE uniform on PE days, dress uniform on Mass days, and summer uniform the rest of the time. We packed Henry’s lunch for the first few weeks. Recently, he has been buying his lunch from the cafeteria (we loaded some money on an account and they debit whatever he buys). So far, Henry seems to be making relatively healthy choices (yogurt, fruit, cheese and the occasional hot meal). Carpool pick up and drop off can only be described as madness, but we’re slowly getting used to the system. Henry is a big fan of aftercare and seems to prefer those days when we don’t pick him up right at dismissal. Apparently playing Legos with his friends is more fun that hanging out with mom and dad. All in all, a relatively smooth transition. And although we fully expect further adjustments in the weeks and months ahead, we couldn’t be more pleased and proud with how Henry has begun the school year.
Halloween got off to a shaky start when Bryant got stuck in heavy traffic and was late picking up the kids (next year we’ll take the afternoon off and avoid the holiday rush). After dashing home and scarfing down dinner, we hit the neighborhood to make up for some lost trick-or-treating ground. Henry went as a dragon/dinosaur (his interpretation of his costume varied from moment to moment) and Vivian went as Ariel (from The Little Mermaid). It didn’t take long before both kids had collected more candy than they needed (we always end up throwing out much of it after one too many sugar highs). Above are the kids dressed and ready to collect their loot.
The next day, the children at St. Mary’s participated in the school’s annual All Saints Day parade through Old Town. This required us to select and design a saint costume for Henry. He went as St. Columba of Scotland, the origin of his middle name Callum (see The Origin of “Callum”). Unlike your run of the mill Halloween getup, designing a saint’s costume requires some work and planning. We ordered a white nativity gown from Amazon as the base and then bought green fabric for the vestment. We used iron-on appliques—a Celtic cross and two doves (Columba means “dove of the church”)—to decorate the front. And since St. Columba is not well known in these parts, we stenciled his name on the back. As a final touch, we added some wooden rosary beads that Elise found at the local costume store. Overall, the end result wasn’t half bad. Several folks commented that Henry looked like a “natural” as a man of the cloth. Above is a picture of our little saint and below is a video of his class’s procession through Old Town.
