DC Blizzard 2016 - Day 2

We woke up to 18 inches of snow on Saturday morning.  We planned to spend the entire day at home.  We rarely do this.  I had made a list of some things we could do.  Kaylea slept late.  We cooked lunch and took time to enjoy it.

After lunch, we played in the snow.  We lasted longer than I anticipated.  Kaylea made a slide out of the snow leading to our basement.  Mimi and Molly even joined us in the snow.

After warming up, Kaylea and I made some delicious lemon cookies with lemon frosting. Kaylea loves to be in the kitchen baking.

Jordy and I were able to watch the Cards play while Mimi played with Kaylea.  We ended the night with a game of Catan Junior.  For spending the entire day at home, we had a blast!

DC Blizzard 2016

More than 50 million people across more than a dozen states have been warned to stay at home as it moves north.

The nation's capital, Washington, could lie under a record 30in (76cm) of snow by the time the storm passes on Sunday.

We are under this warning.  All government offices closed at noon on Friday, so I was able to catch the 1:00 train back to Lorton.  When I left work the snow was just starting in Virginia.

We went over to the VanDyk's to hang out for a couple of hours.  Stefani is Kaylea's Daisy Scout Troop leader so Kaylea is friends with her daughter Alex and she also likes playing with the siblings.  Kaylea played with her friends while we played Euchre.

Friday evening we ventured out to the Gallagher's house.  We played games while the kids played.  It was a fun time.  When we left at 10PM we were thrilled to have 4 wheel drive.  Kaylea wanted to jump in the snow and make a snow angel.  I think we have a lot of outdoor play in our future!

Movies!

Kaylea was out of school on Tuesday.  The teachers had to work, so it was just us.  I had taken the day off, but we ended up having to take my mom to the doctor.  Kaylea was awesome, as the appointment was much longer than expected.  We left our house at 8:50 and didn't get home until 2:00.  I had promised her we would do something fun.  We invited Alannah over.  The girls played for a couple of hours and then we headed to the mall to let Kaylea pick out a new pair of earrings.  After that we went to see Norm of North.  It turned out to be a good day.

Ice Skating Lessons

Since we went skating in Louisville and Kaylea showed such an interest in ice skating, we decided to get her out on the ice with some ice skating lessons.  She is just taking a beginner class and while she is not ready for anything advanced, she is ready to work on a little more than they have started with so far.  The class is 7 weeks long and then she is planning to take a break for a theater class.  I'm glad she is trying out different things so she can see what she really loves.

St. Louis Vacation

This past weekend we headed to St. Louis to visit the Zuercher Family.  I've had this trip planned since the summer!  We took the metro to the airport for the first time and that was a fun experience.  We arrived pretty late and had to pick up a rental car, so we just checked into our hotel on Friday night.  The fun began on Saturday.

We watched Owen test for his karate belt.  We had lunch out and took Owen and Kaylea roller skating.  That evening we had a baby sitter and had some adult time alone.

Sunday we loaded everyone up and headed to the Magic House.  It was fun for everyone.  The museum offered exhibits and activities for all ages.  Some favorites were sand play, waterworks, kid-sized community with a market, bank, library, garage, and even a fishing pond.  We also enjoyed the courtroom, legislative chamber, and oval office.  We could have stayed all day.  I actually think Kaylea could have played in the art room all day.

After the Magic House we had dinner Fitz's.  We got to watch them bottle drinks and enjoyed the largest ice cream floats I have ever experienced.  That evening after the little kids went to bed, we played Settlers of Catan.  Owen and Kaylea helped us finish off the game.

Kaylea spent the night with Owen both nights.  I knew she was not afraid, but I wasn't sure she would want to stay both nights.

We woke up Monday morning to a dead battery in our vehicle!  Luckily, Matt came and jumped the car.  We got to hang out with the whole family for a couple of hours before heading to the airport.  We had a blast and are already planning a return trip!

Happy Half Birthday

Friday night we surprised Kaylea with tickets to her first "broadway" type of musical.  I took her to the Kennedy Center to see Matilda.  It was awesome.  She was so excited and on the edge of seat for the entire performance.

Kaylea reminded me that for her half birthday I usually give her a cupcake and a small gift.  I told her she probably shouldn't share that with anyone, but I did give her half a cupcake, with half a candle, and sing her half of the birthday song :)  Her smile lit up the room.

Gatlinburg

The morning after Christmas we drove to Gatlinburg and rented a cabin with three other families.  There was a lot of stuff to do.  The adults got to have fun, the kids had fun.  I'm not going to say a lot, instead you can just enjoy the photos.