4 Bucks & a Date



It is wild here in Northern Virginia. In addition to chipmunks viciously attacking Mom's flowers, we found another plant predator: the deer. Actually, it was four deer (bucks to be precise). We are not sure what constitutes gang status in Northern Virginia, but we are pretty sure these bucks were part of a neighborhood gang responsible for the recent destruction of flowers and trampled lawns.

We awoke on Saturday morning to find these gang members frolicking in our back yard. Just as Mom was ready to bolt out the backdoor in her pajamas to save her flowers, (there is some truth to the adage about girls turning into their mothers), the bucks jumped the fence and decided to take a stroll through the neighborhood to remind the neighbors of who really owns the land, despite the name on the property deeds. Anna informed Mom and Dad that "the deers are going home," to which Dad replied, "I think they are home."

In addition to deer, the weekend included dinosaurs - singing dinosaurs in a group called "Dinorock" to be precise. Anna and Mom were joined by Sue and Aiden for a visit to Wolf Trap park and the Dinorock show. For those of you not familiar with Wolf Trap, it is a national park in Vienna, VA that hosts all sorts of musical events (check it out at http://www.wolftrap.org/). Anna enjoyed riding in Aiden's new car, complete with a DVD player that was loaded with "Curious George." Aiden enjoyed the stash of cookies his Mom brought along. Mom and Sue enjoyed the fact that both Aiden and Anna were exhausted after the concert and proceeded to take a long nap. Mom also learned a valuable lesson about attending a children's concert at Wolf Trap: take a stroller. It is a REALLY long hike through the woods to get to the amphitheater.

The other big event for the weekend was a visit to Aunt Gayle's. Anna got to spend the night at Aunt Gayle's so Mom and Dad could enjoy date night. While Anna is usually on her best behavior at Aunt Gayle's, this time she proceeded to demonstrate her temper tantrum ability when bath time arrived (sorry Aunt Gayle...it was bound to happen). Needless to say, Anna lost her sweet and innocent reputation at Aunt Gayle's. In the mean time, Mom and Dad were able to enjoy a delicious dinner in Old Town Alexandria and a sunset cruise, not to mention a good night's sleep. A big thanks to Aunt Gayle for braving a night with Anna!



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