Happy Birthday Peter! (March 15, 2012)

Sweet little Pete turned one while we were down in Florida in March.  My Dad's funeral was on his birthday, so we celebrated the next day with my brother's family and my Mom.  Unfortunately, my camera died after the cake picture, and I used my Dad's camera, which died after I took pictures, and we were unable to find the charger before I came home.  Peter is a joy- he is so busy and so fun and so sweet!  I must say he was such a comfort to me during the whole ordeal with my Dad.  Pete would snuggle with me and make me smile through my tears.  I was so thankful for his precious smiley face next to mine.  Even at the funeral he made my Mom and I smile- trying with all his might to grab Mom's glasses off her face. 

He is very verbal- chatting very seriously in his little language.  Last week he said "ball" in context.  That is his 4th word, after MaMa, DaDa, and Sissy (Ruthie's nickname).  He is still not walking independently but he LOVES walking with someone holding his hands, or cruising around furniture.  He eats most foods, and especially loves pizza lately.  It is easier to say what he doesn't like, such as blueberries and carrots.  He will gobble soft cooked peas like nothing I've ever seen. 

He claps and gives high-fives, and points to things, and goes down stairs very well.  This was a crucial thing to learn at our house with two sets of stairs on which we need him to be safe.  Pete is overall a super laid back little guy- going with the flow, with only occasional major opinions, like not wanting to get in his car seat, or desperately wanting to be outside- all the time.  He loves to explore our yard.  He also loves his brothers and sister, and is all up in the mix with wherever they are and whatever they are doing.  Just like them, Pete gets the hiccups when he laughs.  All four of the kids have inherited this trait from Jay- it is really cute. 

We love Peter so much- he is a wonderful gift to our family- he brings us such smiles and laughter and, well, some consternation (he does love to play in open toilets), but such joy!

His Eye is on the Mama Dove

This little Mama Dove found a snug spot to lay her eggs in the spiky boot of a palm tree.  Mom spotted her outside her hotel room when we were in Jacksonville, FL, where Dad was in the hospital.  It makes me cry to look at her tenderly guarding her babies- and thinking of God who was also tenderly guarding her.  And tenderly guarding us as we were getting ready to say goodbye to Dad.  His wings cover so much and He is so good.  He is good, ya'll.  He loves us! He really, really does.

Old Town Alexandria St Patrick's Day Parade (3-3-12)

The St.Patty's Day Parade in Old Town is always a treat.  We made it this year, even though Jay was on duty.  We got a great parking spot, which is always the trouble, and the people in the row home gave us cupcakes when we got back to the van after the parade! 

Coasties!

Really, we're having fun, boys! 

Pipers!  My favorite!

Old Town is dog-crazy- here are three fun examples of dressed up doggies we saw.

Here Comes Petey in the Baby Carriage (March 1 2012)

Ruthie was given this old-timey baby carriage from some sweet neighbors who moved and she had been wanting to put Pete in there for the longest time.  I finally gave in and she had so much fun snuggling him in the carriage and strolling him around.  Pete is so laid back he didn't mind at all, just looked all around and sucked his thumb.  He is a dear boy.

Leesylvania State Park (March 2, 2012)

I always say you can't go anywhere in Virginia without stumbling upon something historical, be it Colonial or Revolutionary War or Civil War history.  We went to hike at Leesylvania (Lee's Woods, just like Pennsylvania is Penn's Woods!) State Park and once there learned that it was the site of the ancestral home of Robert E. Lee.  The trail we hiked had various spots marked and we could see the ruins of the old homestead and great views of the Potomac River.  My favorite thing about our hike was seeing Bald Eagles soaring overhead, crying their high pitched cries!  It was amazing.  I'm very glad they are our national bird and not the turkey, as Ben Franklin suggested.

Spring was beginning to show her stuff.  I loved seeing the fresh green of daffodills popping up in the deadness of the surrounding woods.  This spot was where the gardens of the estate used to be, and some of the flowers have kept coming up years and years later (again sorry for the blur).

"Pickin' up PawPaws, puttin em in our pockets!" (For Jay's step-dad, our PawPaw)

Great Falls, VA (Feb 25 2012)

Great Falls is a beautiful waterfall on the Potomac River, on the border of VA and MD.  We were on the VA side.  It was cold that day, but we enjoyed a hike along the river ending at the falls.  We even got to see a couple of kayakers braving the rapids.  (I am having some issues with my camera lense- sorry for the blurring. Currently trying to get it fixed...) 

Hello again

Sometimes something happens that changes everything.  My Dad died on March 10th and this is one of those somethings.  I think most of you know from emails or facebook or just by being in touch with me in general.  It has been the hardest most painful thing I have ever walked through, and the wound is still deep and painful.  I don't really want to say anything else about it right now except that Dad loved Jesus and he is with him now, and I will see him on the day that I die.  For this blog right now I just want to catch up with some things before FL, and then all the things we did while down in FL.  If you didn't know about my other blog, it is called Going Coastal- you can read the eulogy I wrote for Dad's funeral there.

Rub-a-dub-dub three little men in a tub

giggles from our 11 month-old

Here is a cute video of little Petey laughing at his big brother.  For all those far away who love this little boy. 

We have a new stair climber

(So we also have a new baby gate.)

Small snow but big smiles

So far this winter has been a big disappointment in the snow department.  I guess a mild winter is not really something to complain about, but we were hoping for a good snow.  This particular dusting was near the end of January- it was really crusty because it was wet when it fell and then it froze into a crust.  The kids made the most of it, as always.  And it's still February as I write this so mayyyybbeee- well, the reality is, I think Spring his here.  Just the other day I found fresh green and bloomy things, and I can't deny that makes me smile!  C'mon Spring!

Firemen

Ruthie is 7!

Ruthie turned 7 on January 15th and we celebrated by going to visit her buddy Squirt- the pony she rode back in the summer during Horse Camp.  Squirt was all shaggy for winter and really thrilled to see us, as you can tell. Ruthie has asked and asked to go back and visit him and get Daddy to meet him, so we surprised her and made the trip out to the stables.

After dinner at Ruthie's favorite Mexican restaurant we celebrated with a "Misty of Chincoteague" cake and the blowing out of 7 candles.

Then we snuggled up on the couch and watched the movie "Misty of Chincoteague" with a delighted 7 year old.  As you can see, she is not over her horse phase, but now she is reading everything she can get her hands on about horses and dreaming of the day when she can get back in the saddle.  She is growing up into such a tender-hearted and sweet young lady- full of spunk and tearing all the knees out of her pants, climbing her new favorite tree in the yard, riding her scooter and reading voraciously.  She adores her baby brother and is very attentive and loving to all of her brothers- only occasionally lamenting the lack of a sister.  She is back into ballet and really enjoying it more than last time, and with a new determination and maturity about it.  Ruthie is a darling daughter and we are so thankful for 7 wonderful years!

A couple of weeks after her actual birthday we celebrated at the American Girl Store with two of her sweet friends, Sarah and Julia.  The girls ate dinner and chatted, along with their dolls...

...and shared a pretty little cake...

...and giggled and explored the dreamy store and just had a once-in-a-lifetime celebration at a special place.  It was fun for Jay and I to get to be there with just Ruthie and her friends and actually chat with them and enjoy them without little boys taking all our time.  (An extra special thanks to the Powers for keeping the boys for us so we could do this!)  Happy, Happy Birthday, Ruthie!!!!

Dryers with Windows are cool

So big!

Winter tree

The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination. 

~Terri Guillemets

Our latest imagining is this "Winter Tree" created from a branch we found in the woods.  We hung holly berries cut from the holly trees in our yard, along with crocheted snowflake ornaments and some wool woodland creature ornaments I already had.

The tree sort of makes up for the loss of our dear Christmas tree, and we can change our branch to reflect the changing seasons.

Fort Washington and Snow!

Last Monday we went to see Fort Washington, located in Maryland, across the Potomac from our area of Alexandria.  Fun fact:

"Fort Washington is the only permanent fortification built to defend the river approach to the Nation's Capital." more...

There is even a little lighthouse now used as a channel marker.

It was SO cold and started snowing while we were there.  By the time we got home... 

HUGE flakes were falling.  I mean they were more like snowchunks than snowflakes.