Kumquats and such

Last Sunday, Jason's grandparents celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary!!! We were lucky enough to join them for lunch that afternoon and spend some time with two amazing people who set such a wonderful example for all the younger people in their lives!  Reagan got dressed up for the occasion, so I grabbed a few pictures of her before we left. Strangely, whenever I tell her to "say cheese" and pose for the camera, she bends down like this: We headed over to their house after a quick trip to the grocery store for supplies, and Reagan fell asleep on the way. She was so tuckered out that she stayed asleep when Jason got her out of the car! Luckily she perked up when she saw her PeePaw! Reagan spent lots of time with MeeMaw, singing songs and climbing on her walker: And Jason and PeePaw were busy in the kitchen making tomato soup and grilled cheese croutons: After a delicious lunch and great conversation, Reagan shared some ice crea...

As you know, I had the best playgroup ever when we lived in NC! Reagan loves her playgroup friends, and I love their mommies! However, we're all tied to the military, and sadly, several of us have moved away. Luckily for us, the Marine Corps is a relatively small organization, so chances of us all crossing paths again is high! That brings me to today's post...last Friday morning, three of the original playgroup gals and their kiddos came to our new house in Mt Vernon for a playdate!!  We had such a great time. The toddlers fell back into their normal routine with each other...mainly parallel play, but more interaction than at previous meetings, and Declan just sat and took it all in: Here they are eating fruit and waiting for the pizza to come out of the oven: And post lunch play in Reagan's room! What's the fun of having a queen size bed if you and your three friends can't jump on it, right?! Got some individual shots of the "big" ...

On Thursday morning, Reagan and I headed down to Woodbridge (after getting my car fixed AGAIN!) to hang out with Grandma and Papa before the game. Uncle Kevin met us around 1:30 for a 2 o'clock departure. And we were shockingly out the door on time with Reagan happily settled in with Grandma. We had an easy trip down and Uncle Kevin kept me entertained:  As soon as we arrived, we parked at Alumni Hall and then wandered across the campus to the "Corner" where we were getting dinner. Before ordering sandwiches, I poked my head into Jason's old stomping grounds (He worked at Ragged Mountain Running Shop while he attended UVA): I even got the crew working that evening to pose for a picture! Then we walked across the street to the best sandwich shop EVER: I ordered a turkey on wheat with cucumber, sprouts, Havarti and crack sauce (ok, I have no idea what the sauce actually is, but it is amazing!): After eating our SECOND sandwiches (yes, w...

Last Wednesday morning, Reagan and I met some friends at Ft Belvoir to have a playdate at the park. Unfortunately, the park was too wet from the previous day's rain, so we ended up taking the girls to the food court and letting them eat some cinnamon roll bites and play around the Christmas display. All in all, it was a good morning and Reagan has really enjoyed playing with older children lately, so it was great for her. After that, she and I headed home, stopping briefly at a small river near one of the gates to the base.  She had a blast tossing rocks into the water, and naturally, I took lots of pictures of her doing it. Reagan's hand-selected "pretty in pink" outfit for the day's outing:) This kid definitely loves being outside! We are so lucky to live in an area full of nature for her to explore to her heart's desire! 

In NC, we spent HOURS around our fire pit (that we purchased when we lived in GA). It was a wonderful centerpiece for many gatherings with our friends and we were sad when we had to leave it behind (it was seriously a hazard by the end of our time there!). Luckily, we recently purchased a new fire pit for the house in VA! Jason spent all day on Sunday burning wood and breaking in the fire pit. On Monday morning (it was Veteran's day so he was off again!), we loaded up the car and headed to Home Depot. We bought some pavers and a few other things and returned home. While I worked inside, Jason got busy building a small "patio" for our fire pit. This was necessary for safety because no one wants a wobbly fire pit with a toddler and dog around! As I was taking pictures of the worker bee, I noticed that someone else wanted to watch! So meticulous!  Final product!

On Saturday afternoon, Grandma came over to watch the UVA football game. We enjoyed some snacks and a great win by the Wahoos before Jason and I started to get ready for the birthday ball. Grandma was a lifesaver and offered to come stay the night with Reagan so we could enjoy a night out! Reagan cuddled right up next to her for most of the afternoon: Once we were dressed, I had to snap a couple pictures, and Grandma got a few of us too: At this point, Reagan was walking around saying, "I go too!" She was a little miffed when we explained that it was a mommy and daddy only event:)  The evening was wonderful for all of us. Reagan and Grandma made cookies and played for the remainder of the evening. Jason and I enjoyed a delightful night, visiting with old friends, meeting new people and celebrating the 237th birthday of the United States Marine Corps!

Since moving to Virginia, we haven't met too many friends (for me and Reagan). When we were in NC, we knew so many great women and kiddos from our involvement in Stroller Warriors and from Jason's unit, but we don't have a running club here and Jason's job is very different, so there's really not a good way for us to find friends. Well, we could sit around and mope about it, or we could do something, right?! We chose to do something! I signed up for the Alexandria Mom's club. It's for women with children ages 0-5 years, and they offer several options for activities, playdates, coffees, etc. They have a website where tons of these events are posted, and while browsing the page recently, I found a link for the Fort Hunt Play Expo. It's was being held at a preschool/church in the local area this past Saturday, so I decided we needed to make the plunge and go do something! And I'm so glad we did. The weather was unseasonably warm and absolutely gorgeou...