Anna Grows

It is May in Washington, which means the beginning of the festival season along with numerous other outdoor activities.  Anna made the most of the beautiful May weather over the past few weekends enjoying local events and celebrations. Anna & Dad enjoying the last apple strudel in Austria Anna celebrated Mother's Day weekend with a couple of trips into Washington.  The first trip was on Saturday for the European Union embassy open house.  This is an annual spring tradition in which all of the countries that are part of the European Union open their embassies to showcase their countries.  There is lots of food and music, along with tourist information.  Anna got a "passport" for the event in which she got stickers at each embassy she visited.  Anna and her parents made it down for the afternoon portion of the event and started out at the Austrian embassy, where they secured the last apple strudel in Austria (timing is everything).  They then w...

Anna, Grandma & Grandpa It was a big weekend for Anna....and Grandma & Grandpa who made the trip from Ohio for Grandparents Day and Anna's 1st Communion. Friday was Grandparents Day at school, which meant that Grandma & Grandpa got dropped off in the carpool line with Anna and visited her classroom.  After mass, which included a substitute priest with a strong accent that no grandparent present could understand, the grandparents were treated to brunch sponsored by the PTO.  The morning concluded with the Spring Fling Concert, which was a tribute to the Beetles (each grade sang a different Beetles song).  Anna's grade sang I Wanna Hold Your Hand while the entire school sang Let It Be .  Grandma & Grandpa enjoyed seeing Anna in action at school as well as meeting all of the grandparents (we believe that Grandpa may have met 96% of the grandparents present). Anna was thrilled to have her grandparents at school and was up extra early on Friday mo...

Easter Sunday This Easter, Anna received a special visit from something big and fluffy with long ears.  It was not the Easter bunny, but Bonnie who was making her first trip off of Long Island.  Bonnie was accompanied by her drivers - Aunt Mary and  Cousin James. It is hard to say who was more excited about the trip - Anna or Bonnie.  Bonnie burst through the door at 1 AM upon her arrival and excitedly greeted everyone.  She then went up to Anna's room, pushed open the door and put her nose on Anna (Anna didn't even stir).  Bonnie then went back to the car thinking it was time to leave before Aunt Mary convinced her to stay. The rest of the weekend was a blur of activity.  On Saturday, Bonnie visited Great Falls National Park, where the Virginia bluebells were in full bloom.  Actually, Bonnie didn't quite make it to Great Falls as she was still tired from the trip.  After a little rest, Bonnie was up for playing games with Anna and Ja...

Anna as Little Red Riding Hood Anna recently made her debut in two performances:  Doo Wop Little Red Riding Hood and a piano recital with her new piano teacher.  While it was not quite a Broadway production or Carnegie Hall, Anna gained valuable experience performing before an audience, albeit a limited one. Anna participated in the drama club at school, which is run by the Harmonia music and arts school where she has attended some camps.  The cast consisted of 13 kids ranging from first grade to fifth grade.  After auditions (Anna sang Hark the Herald Angels Sing for her audition number) she got the part of Little Red Riding Hood.  The drama club met for 1 hour each week for 10 weeks.  By the end of it, Anna decided she didn't like it anymore because the teacher was always telling them to stop talking and they only had a small snack (it really is all about the snack).  She also decided that she did not like the part where Little Red Riding H...

Skiing in Western Maryland Anna had one more three day weekend left, so we headed for the mountains of Western Maryland for a ski weekend.  Anna's friend, Sofia, and her family invited us to join them for a long weekend at the mountain.  Thanks to Sofia, Anna's ski ability improved dramatically and she had a fantastic time. The first day saw temperatures hovering in the mid-to upper 40s with winds gusting to 30 miles per hour.  Sofia and her Mom decided to brave the slushy snow, while Joe, Theresa, Anna, Sofia's Dad and little brother (Luke) opted for a hike at Swallow Falls State park.  Luke and Anna had a blast explore the trail, not to mention the adventure of hiking on ice. Anna, Sofia & Macallan Sunday weather was much colder, so we headed out for some skiing.  After pulling into the parking lot of the mountain, they were greeted by an attendant who informed them it was "Suburu Day" on the mountain, which meant free valet parking for Suburus...

Rose & Robin joined in the celebration! March 1 marked a major milestone in history.  Not only was it the day Ohio became a state in 1803, it was also Theresa's birthday (some time much later than 1803).  Theresa shares a birthday with none other than Justin Bieber.  Theresa's Dad noted that Justin Bieber's birthday received far greater attention than her's - something that Theresa is quite fine with. Joe and Anna and some of Theresa's friends fulfilled her birthday wish - a roller skating party.  Theresa was able to re-live her glory days at the roller rink surrounded by several others celebrating their birthdays.  Of course the other birthday parties going on were for ages 9 -13, but it was still fun.  Pauletta was on hand to document the entire event on film.  Theresa considered the day a success when only one of her friends ended up at Urgent Care. For those who refused to brave the roller rink, there was lunch at a local Italian restau...

Anna prepares to shovel (with her NY Yankees hat) A major winter storm hit Northern Virginia on February 13, dumping over 14 inches of heavy, wet snow.  This can mean only one thing:  Joe was in Las Vegas. It turns our that Joe has a higher accuracy rate than the National Weather Service in predicting a major winter storm. He currently has a 75% accuracy rate, thanks to the latest storm.  Once again, he was "stuck in Vegas," or at least until he managed to get a later flight. Anna got to enjoy two more days off school by making a snow igloo and having a snowball fight with the neighborhood boys.  She enjoyed hanging out with her friends and making Valentine cookies.  She was not so excited about the packet of extra homework her teacher sent home. Theresa got a significant work-out in  shoveling the heavy, wet snow.  Thankfully, the neighbors (who have come to expect these sorts of things when Joe goes to Vegas) lent a hand.  A big thanks...