Snow day

What a great day for a snow storm! We started the day with a pancake breakfast...

had lots of cuddling time...and ended the day with a sister bath...

Snow bunny

Happy 200th blog post!


Late this morning, we bundled Emilia up in about a dozen layers and sent her out into the blanket of snow outside. At first she just took it all in... And then, after Eric prepped her runway, she got into the action with our makeshift sled...

Buried in a winter wonderland

Last night, our second snow storm of the season started and it's still going strong. By 10:30 this morning we had nearly 11 inches. At last measurement on our deck, we were up to 19 inches! The news is reporting that this is the most snowfall in December in Washington's history. Eric worked hard to keep up with the accumulation as much as possible. It looked beautiful and will pretty much guarantee us a white Christmas.

ICE!

Yet another benefit of maternity leave: the flexibility to venture into the city on a weekday to enjoy a holiday spectacle without crowds. Yesterday, the girls and I met up with Eric to tour ICE, "an incredible walk-through holiday attraction hand carved by international artisans from two million pounds of ice" (according to the Gaylord National Harbor's Web site). It was very cool, in both senses of the word. With a temperature of nine degrees, you have to wear a special parka over your clothes and coats. Emilia's was so big on her that it skimmed the ground when she walked. Even Anna had a parka to drape over her covered stroller.

The exhibit featured amazing ice sculptures and displays. The highlight for Emilia was the ice slide. Though it took her a little while to get going, she wanted to ride it again and again. Even Eric enjoyed a ride.

Christmas baking

Even though I enjoy baking, I don't typical make a lot of Christmas treats because we're usually traveling during the holidays. Since I have been on maternity leave this season, I've had the opportunity to get in the kitchen and bake a little. In the last week, I baked cookies for our neighborhood cookie exchange, cranberry bars for our church's ladies' dessert and pumpkin cheesecake for our small group. On Thursday, I made two more cookie recipes to include in 27 gifts for Eric's staff. Eric's team had a great year, so it was fun to celebrate their accomplishments with a few sweet treats.

Heritage holiday cheer

On Wednesday night, the girls and I headed downtown for the annual Heritage Foundation Christmas party. The highlight is always the visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, who come bearing gifts for all of the children. There was plenty of delicious food and beautiful Christmas decorations. Emilia camped out at the chocolate fountain... not eating the chocolate, of course - just handfuls of strawberries intended to be dipped in the chocolate.

Workout for Auntie Meg

Last weekend, we went over to the Clarkes' house for an impromptu take-out dinner. Somehow Auntie Meg got suckered into amusing Emilia in the basement. Meg must have burned her entire caloric intake for the day pushing and spinning Emilia on their office chair. Emilia had a blast and we were exhausted just watching them.

Leesburg parade

Last Saturday, we met up with Brad and the girls to watch the Leesburg Christmas Parade. The girls enjoyed getting treats from the parade participants as they viewed fire engines, dancers, Santa, Frosty and more. We love hometown parades!

Meeting Old St. Nick

When Emilia woke up this morning, I surprised her by telling her she was not going to school today. Instead, I took the girls to the mall to see Santa Claus. Last year, Emilia was terrified of him, so I had no idea what to expect this year. After a lot of preparation, both girls did great! Emilia didn't respond to his question about what she wants for Christmas (she has no idea that Santa actually brings gifts), but she gave him lots of smiles, waves and high fives.

After the successful Santa visit, we caught the weekly Rocknoceros performance and had lunch. Here she is getting a hand stamp from Willie Bob. It was a lovely date with my girls!

Anna: two months

Anna turned two months old over the weekend. We had a great check up this week, and she continues to grow well: 10 pounds, 10 ounces, 22 inches (50th percentile for both). She is cooing and smiling quite a lot -- even laughing at us. Her sleeping and eating schedule is fairly consistent. We recently transitioned her from the bassinet in our room to her crib and that went well. She gives us a good stretch from roughly 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., which is a blessing!

Let it snow, man

We had our first snow of the year today and it was no joke. Forecasted for 1-3 inches, Eric measured more than 5 inches before it even stopped. Last year, Emilia was not a fan of the white stuff, but this year she was a little more interested in it. It was a good thing I picked up a new winter coat and snow pants for Emilia this week.

Where is this white stuff coming from? Emilia's snowman... Eric's snowman...


Corey and Gill's snow alien-man...

Living nativity

After the school party, we took the girls to a living nativity presentation at Southview Baptist Church in Herndon. It was a terrific display with lots of actors and animals in various scenes depicting Jesus' birth, and a great way to teach Emilia about the true meaning of Christmas. I suspect this is another event we'll make an annual tradition for our family.