The Holidays in Washington

The holidays are here at last! While this year's Christmas season is dominated about completion of the kitchen renovation (the Christmas gift that will keep on giving for years to come), we did manage to take a beautiful day off from the remodal work to enjoy some of the many great holiday activities Washington has to offer.

We made our way dowtown to the Botanical Gardens for the annual train display. This activity has clearly grown in popularity as we had to wait for 30 minutes just to get in. The wait was worth it as once again they had a spectacular train display (complete with Thomas the Train) along with beautiful flowers and replicas of the various monuments around DC. After lunch at the Native American history museum, we headed over to the White House to check out the Christmas tree display.



This year was a disappointment to say the least. The tree was more of a Charley Brown tree (lights were lying in a pool around the bottom because the tree was so much shorter than in prior years). There was no music playing. There was no yule log burning. Santa's workshop was open, so we thought we would take the opportunity to let Anna visit Santa Clause. We were greeted by an elf and a secret service agent dressed in black carrying a rifle along with a bomb sniffing dog (apparently Santa requires a security detail). Unfortunately we have no photos of this event as the web address to access the photo was blocked by security. As for the national tree, well......let's just say it appears that the only place Congress made budget cuts was on holiday decorations.

Anna had another opportunity to visit Santa Claus when he made a special appearance in the neighborhood last weekend at "breakfast with Santa." Santa arrived via fire trucking bringing some early Christmas presents for the neighborhood kids, including a new skirt for Anna. She was very excited!



Anna is learning to write and made out her list for Santa all by herself. Here is what she asked for:

A patched red skert with balk
A pupkin shirt with sparkles
A new map
A new eraser
A new Dora move
A race car trak

Anna spoke in greater detail about the race car trak with her Uncle Rod. Hopefully he and Uncle Tim can take that one off Santa's list.


We are looking forward to Grandma and Grandpa joining us for the holidays this year. They are scheduled to arrive in time for Anna's school Christmas pagent. Grandma has pledged to help make some Christmas cookies (a BIG help since we just got our oven back last night after a 2 month hiatus). We have PLENTY of projects to occupy Grandpa's time.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming with the Lakevale Dolphins

Image
The Swim Gang - Leo, Aidan, Megan & Anna Tonight Anna completed her third season with the Division II Lakevale Dolphins.  It was a great season for Anna as she improved her strokes and her times and made it to the "A"team to compete at Saturday meets.  It was an educational season for Joe and Theresa, who learned the ins and outs of life as swim team parents. The neighborhood swim team is the hub of neighborhood social activity in the summer.  There are events throughout the season, including Friday night pep rallies, and Sunday night fund events that include such things as the neighborhood scavenger hunt, laser tag night, bingo night, and even a team night at the Washington Nationals game.  In between the fun is the seriousness of the swimming, and there are definitely some top notch swimmers on the team. Anna with her lollipop for getting a "personal best" time Kids are motivated by different things. Some kids love to race.  Other kids try to b...
Read more

Camp Coles Trip & June Birthdays

Image
Anna at Girl Scout Camp Anna just returned from a fun-filled week at Girl Scout camp.  This year she was old enough to go to Camp Coles Trip, which is on a bay area off of the Potomac River.  This is a water camp, so she spent her days on the bay learning to paddle board and sail along with kayaking. Girl Scout Camp is definitely roughing it.  The camp is in the woods and girls stay in platform cabins with screens.  Anna shared a cabin with 4 other girls.  Mosquito netting is very important at night.  The only electricity is at the dining hall, health center, and activity building.  The girls are also responsible each day for doing "kapers" or chores.  They take turns helping serve meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and general clean-up.  They are also responsible for keeping track of their own things and carrying their bags. Anna had a fantastic time, despite the lack of modern conveniences, and is already planning her return next year....
Read more

The End of 1st Grade

Image
Last Day of 1st Grade Pool Party Anna is officially a "rising 2nd grader."  She was quite excited to celebrate her last day of 1st grade on June 14. She learned a lot this year, including great strides on reading, addition, subtraction, and writing. Anna kept a writing journal during the school year.  Below are some excerpts: If I had a pet I would choose a dog.  I would feed him, walk him, play with him, and a dog would keep me company.  PS, i atcally want one these are the things i would do One day while I was driveing on the road a deer was in the way.  My dad honked the horn.   self-control is keping your self in control.   Peace is when you are quiet.   I can respect others by bringing over plates afer diner.    The last week of school included a field trip to Frying Pan Park, a working farm in Fairfax County.  Anna, upon recounting the details of her trip, stated that they learned how to do farm chores from...
Read more