Christmas 2019

The smell of Christmas (that is, Jared's orange rolls) was in the air, there was lots of family time, lots of good food, and lots of loot from Santa - in other words, a great Christmas.

Ben and Kim hosted this year's Candland Chrsitmas party, which turned out great even for the big crowd of almost 70 people. Santa even made an appearance, and Jack and Ellie spent a little one-on-one time with the Big Man.


Then it was back for some quiet family time. Christmas Eve, we went to a lovely service at a local church. Christmas Day was spent in pajamas, hanging out and playing with our new loot.

And let's not forget, Jared's orange rolls.

Merry Christmas!

Messy...But Cozy

At least one member of our family likes Ellie's disaster area of a room. Because one man's Crap-All-Over-The-Floor is another basset's Oh-So-Cozy-Nest.

Let the Season Begin!

This weekend, we (and approximately 37,000 other people) went to a nearby tree farm to get our Christmas tree and officially kick off the Christmas season.

It took about half the time to just find a parking spot. Yup, we weren't the only ones to kick off the season - but that's a good thing, in my mind, something I kept reminding myself as we had to crawl through the farm to find parking.

We quickly found our tree, and I even managed to get everyone to pose for a photo. Yes, that's only because I let Ellie hold a sharp object.

Jared quickly dispatched with the tree sawing.

Jack got in on the game, too.

And Ellie was a pretty darn good tree hauler

Because we're gluttons for punishment, we keep trying to get a successful selfie. Clearly the key is to have Ellie take the selfie, because at least she manages to get everyone in the frame.

Although I'm not sure what she's doing here.

That's better? But maybe a smile next time?

Let's get this Christmas going, all!

To Be a Basset

Here's what it means to be a basset.

1. Whine at the door all day to go for a walk.
2. Prance with joy when Mom gets out the leash to go for a walk.
3. Bound outside to go for a walk.
4. Sit on the sidewalk and refuse to walk.
5. Stare at Mom with incredulity when she tries to get you to move.
6. Rinse and repeat EVERY SINGLE DAY UNTIL THE END OF TIME.



P.S. - he's stronger than he looks; that low center of gravity serves him well in Tug O' War

Now That's the Stuff

Big steaming bowls of cheese and chocolate?
Two kids who are actually getting along and AREN'T rolling their eyes continuously at their mother?
Two solid hours of good food and good company?
Now that's the stuff.

Someone Might Have a Problem

What happens to a 12-year-old's body when one ingests an entire pumpkin pie in one day?

Our Ellie will soon find out, because she destroyed that pie, my friends.

I don't know whether to clap in admiration of her pumpkin-pie-eating prowess, or run for the hills in fear of the gastrointestinal karma she might incur. Or perhaps clap and then run?

Clap and run it is.

Well, done, Ellie, and crossing fingers.

Say Cheese! (Or Not)

How do you spell "attitude"?

E-L-L-I-E

Yup, our beautiful young lady couldn't quite bring herself to just say 'cheese' and smile sweetly for the camera. Nope. We've gotta show some attitude. And boy, there's some attitude for you. I mean, you see that face and you just think, yes, you're right, I'm just not cool at all, who am I kidding. You're absolutely right, Ellie, it's just hopeless, I should just give up any hope of being relevant.

Sigh.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, school pictures. That's Ellie's contribution. Don't think I'll be sending that to the grandparents.


Thankfully, our Jack came through with Proper School Picture Smile. And an attitude that says, no worries, Mom, you're awesome. And so very cool. And very relevant. And have you lost weight?

Yup, that's what I see.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Bedroom Glam-up

It was just unacceptable, people. Unacceptable, I say. How can a 12-year-old even SLEEP in a room clearly suited for a little kid? Really, that should be considered child abuse.

Or at least that's how Ellie sees it. Her room was in desperate need of a glam-up. So the other weekend, we got to work - we painted the walls a nice light grey, got new bedding, a new desk, lots of lights and knick-knacks and what-not - all to hopefully look like a room fit for a soon-to-be teen. And hopefully to stop this horrid child abuse ONCE AND FOR ALL!


Getting our prep on - we actually taped and did all that good prep stuff. Look at us with our responsible painting practices and what-not.

Ellie even did a little work (a little - let's not get carried away).

Not the best picture, but trust me, it's cute. I mean cool. Or whatever the kids these days say.

Halloween

It was a dark and stormy night....

No, really, it was a dark and stormy night this Halloween. Not the greatest weather for trick-or-treating, which might explain why Ellie and her friends literally spent more time getting ready for trick-or-treating than actual trick-or-treating. They arrived by 5, and after a quick pizza break, spent the next hour and a half getting glammed up for completely-dark-trick-or-treating-where-no-one-would-really-see-them. Less than an hour after they finally tumbled out the door, we got a frantic phone call from Ellie that it was pouring rain (dark AND stormy!) and they needed to be picked up. So off we went to throw a gaggle of screaming tween girls into the back of our pickup. They spent the rest of the evening ingesting vast amounts of sugar, giggling, and doing things on their phones we probably don't want to know about.

Jack stayed home for the first time, serving as Chief Jack-o-Lantern carver and helping to pass out candy. Which was a huge help, since Oliver lost his ever-loving mind every time the doorbell rang.

It was dark and stormy.
It was loud and hectic.
But everyone was together.
So it was good.

Happy Halloween!


Ellie and her friends (l-r) Lauren, Selma, Sasha, Ahana, and Maaya

Two angels? No snide comments, please - I've made them all already

Our Master Carver Jack

He took his job very seriously

A couple of days before Halloween, we hit the "Cookies and Scream" party at Cookies & Cream

You know I never give up a chance for some cookies and ice cream

Running With Pete!

We're coming up on election time, and my brother Pete is running for reelection for county supervisor. They marched in a parade recently, and Jack had a great time marching with him - or, RUNNING with him, as the slogan goes.

DIY Food Tour

It was a beautiful, sunny weekend, and so we had to do SOMETHING, and we realized there were chunks of D.C. that we had never even been to. So we decided to DIY a food tour in Adams Morgan, a cute little neighborhood full of restaurants.

Our first stop was Julia's for some empanadas.

Man, those things were de-licious. Really, we could have stopped there and been satisfied. But alas, that would not be a food tour. So off we went to....

Sakuramen for some ramen, bulgogi buns, and dumplings

Mr. Jack was a bit tired, after a very late night - but he soon perked up with some tasty ramen

Please note the tasty ramen

Then it was off for some salty goodness - some frieten at Amsterdam Falafelshop

And shame on us (shame!) if we didn't get plenty of sweets - so we headed to Cakeroom for some cupcakes and cheesecake

And they were good

Sure, Ellie may not look it, but she was in her happy place, with a carrot cake cupcake and Nutella cheesecake

Finally, we stopped for hot chocolate at Tryst

A successful DIY Food Tour, and a fun time with the family - even if Ellie won't admit it

Admit it, Ellie, admit it!

Harper's Ferry Fun

This weekend we took a little drive up to Harper's Ferry. It's a short drive from here, quite beautiful, and full of Civil War (and leading-up-to-Civil-War) history. We walked around a bit, had a yummy lunch, and had fun trying out the Civil War-era candy at the old-fashioned candy shop. And my kids even posed for a photo or two! Great afternoon!

Happy Birthday, Jack!

I gotta tell you, when this kid was little, I really worried about him. Almost every night, I'd wake up at like 2 or 3 in the morning to him poking me in the head, followed by "Excuse me, Mommy, I need my ___" - toolbox, Fireman Sam coat, Superman cape, cowboy hat, keys, bow and arrow, you name it. I never did figure out exactly what the crazy kid was doing, or how he managed on so little sleep, but it must have done him some good. Because now I have a kind, thoughtful, smart, funny 14-year-old young man. And if he is going on superhero adventures in the middle of the night, well, at least he's letting me sleep through them. Happy Birthday, Jack!