Anna Grows

We survived 2017!  It was a year of ups and downs.  Perhaps perseverance is the best word to describe it.  Did we have fun?  Yes!  Are we glad the year is over?  Absolutely!  This year we definitely learned to appreciate different things -  many that we have simply taken advantage of before. It is safe to say that we live in a historic time.  Of course every year is historic, but the changes going on now will have future generations looking back at this time as a major turning points.  Of course living in such a historic time can be a bit unsettling....especially when you are in the DC area.  We have found ourselves having conversations with 11-year old Anna that we may not have otherwise had.  Some of our dinner conversation highlights from the year: How did Trump win? Why homework is important (ok - we would have had this conversation no matter what)? Are terrorist going to attack us? Good jobs for kids (aka...Anna you need to earn your own money). What did Russia do? Why y

Christmas Eve with Grandma & Grandpa It's the most wonderful time of the year....at least according to the song.  It was a good Christmas and as always we enjoyed lots of activities, including school celebrations, parties with friends, and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa.  Thanks to the awesomeness of Amazon Prime, the holidays were a bit less stressful for Mom and Dad (we can't say the same for the mailman who seemed to be delivering mail consistently at 8 AM at night).  We also ate too much good food, but had a lot of fun. 6th Grade girls basketball teams The month of December was filled with activities.  Anna kicked off the basketball season with two games (they lost, BUT the girls definitely improved).  She performed with the Vienna Jammers at Jammin Java the second weekend of December, always a fun gig.  Anna George joined us for that event.  Theresa got to meet up with Pauletta for a wine and cookie pairing (that was a brilliant idea).  There was also the G