Nutcracker...

Mommy took Logan and Carsyn to see "The Nutcracker" this afternoon. They loved it, especially Carsyn who thinks of herself as a ballerina...a "singer ballerina!" After the performance Carsyn couldn't wait to meet the dancers and get some autographs. Logan was more interested in finding their friends. It was a fun holiday tradition!

Carsyn and Logan during intermission...

Logan, Maggie, Abigail, and Carsyn after the show...

Weekend in Virginia Beach...

We spent this weekend visiting our friends at their new home in outside of Virginia Beach, VA. It was so great to get to visit with them because we had not seen them since last December when we were all still living out in California. The drive down took a little longer than normal because of D.C. traffic, but it is definitely great having good friends close again. The girls had a wonderful time playing with their buddies, and the adults had a great time trying not to talk politics ; ) We enjoy these visits every time. Thanks, Chad and Jill--you guys are always the best hosts!

The kids opening their presents...

Madison (3), Morgan (1), Carsyn (4), Maren (2), Evan (almost 5), and Logan (6)...

The girls posing for me after mass...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night...

It definitely is the most wonderful time of the year. We had a great, relaxing Christmas. Last night (Christmas Eve,) we went to 5:30 mass and then headed over to our friends' for a Holiday open house. It was great to get to spend some time with friends since we weren't able to visit with any family. And, the girls had a great time playing with their friends too. Thanks for inviting us! After we came home we opened presents from each other. Mommy and Daddy only give the girls clothes and books; if they're good...Santa brings the toys and other fun stuff! Logan is at the age where she likes getting nice clothes, shoes, and accessories. Carsyn, on the other hand, grew more annoyed with every present she unwrapped. Maren just enjoys tearing paper off the boxes! Finally the girls put the chocolate chip cookies that we made out for Santa and went to bed...

Christmas Eve morning, the girls got to open one early present...

Our family after mass on Christmas Eve...

Logan and Carsyn woke up first on Christmas morning, around 8:15. But, we all had to wait for Maren to start opening presents. She finally got up close to 9:00. All three girls made out very well--Santa must have lower expectations on behavior than mom and dad ; ) The girls' new toys are still scattered all over the living room, and they haven't stopped playing all day. We truly had a Merry Christmas and hope you did too!

The girls on Christmas morning...

with some of their favorite gifts, American Girl dolls...

Merry Christmas!

From our family, to yours...we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year! Please check back soon for many updates and photos, including our trip to New York!

We Heart NY...

We just couldn't get enough of New York the last time we were there, so we had to make another trip up. Sunday morning we took the Metro downtown to catch a bus up to NYC. The girls did really well--slept most of the way. The bus was definitely worth it, we all got to relax and didn't have to pay all those tolls on the New Jersey turnpike or parking at the hotel.

Maren and Logan with Daddy on the Metro...

The bus dropped us off at Penn Station. Then we walked about nine blocks to our hotel. It was pretty cold and rain/snowing a bit. But, the girls were pretty good about it--only a few complaints. Then we headed out for some real New York pizza for lunch. Afterward we checked out the store windows decorated for Christmas at the 34 St. Macy's.

Carsyn LOVES pizza...

The girls outside of Macy's...

The girls at Herald Square...

After some sightseeing and pizza we went back to our hotel to get ready for our first Broadway show. Mommy, Nana, Logan, and Carsyn went to see Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater. The girls had such a great time, they really liked the show. It was really exciting to see an actual Broadway musical on Broadway (well, actually it was on 42nd St.) Maren was too young to go to the show, but she and Daddy had a fun night together anyway. They went out for dinner, did some souvenir shopping, and hung out in the hotel.

Maren in her shirt Daddy bought her with the view of the Empire State Building from our hotel room...

Logan and Carsyn in Times Square...

outside the theater...

inside the theater after the show...

Monday was bitterly cold, but we braved the weather to do some more sightseeing. First we went back to Macy's for a picture with Santa. It was very cool, just like "Miracle on 34th Street"--only in color! The girls also got to write letters to Santa and mail them to the North Pole.

The girls with Santa at Macy's...

Then we stood in line for about two and a half hours (most of the time indoors...thank goodness) to go up to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Once we finally got up there it was super-cold and windy. We were fine on the South side of the building, but as soon as we turned the corner to get a better look of the Hudson the wind literally took our breath away. Carsyn and Maren were so scared by the ferocious wind that they started crying. Needless to say, we did not stay up there very long. Afterward we went to Jamba Juice, which the girls had been begging for since we got off the bus.

Logan and Carsyn looking out at Lower Manhattan from the top of the Empire State Building...

That night the girls stayed in and had dinner at the hotel with Nana while Mommy and Daddy went to the Ed Sullivan Theater for a live taping of the Late Show with David Letterman. Before the show we (mom and dad) got sandwiches from the Hello Deli and actually met Rupert Jee. Then, because the Late Show interns must have liked us so much, we got front row seats during the show. We were like ten feet away from Dave when he did his monologue. It was hilarious. Tracy Morgan was the guest, and he is--quite possibly--the funniest person on earth. The show will air on Friday, December 26--be sure to watch and look for us in the audience!

Daddy and Rupert at the Hello Deli...

Mommy and Daddy outside the Ed Sullivan Theater...

Tuesday we walked over to Rockefeller Center to see the tree. Mommy and Carsyn also went ice skating while everyone else had some hot chocolate inside...out of the freezing cold weather. Carsyn did a great job. We had a blast on our trip--we love New York!

The girls and Daddy at the tree at Rockefeller Center...

Carsyn on the ice at Rockefeller Plaza...

Logan getting warm...

Maren having a good time...always...

Legally Blonde...

Logan went with Mommy and Nana downtown to the Kennedy Center to see Legally Blonde the musical this afternoon. It was a pretty good show, and Logan did great sitting through it. She especially enjoyed the scenes with the dogs. We just hope she doesn't start doing the "bend and snap!" Meanwhile, Maren and Carsyn had a great time spending the day with Daddy, getting dirty in the backyard--only with Daddy.

Logan during intermission...

Logan and "Bruiser"...

Last day of school...in 2008!

Today was the girls last day of school, this year. It was a only a half day, and it sure was jam-packed with stuff to do. The day started out with a prayer service for the fourth Sunday of Advent, then mass. Afterward it was party time! Mommy stayed with Logan's class for their Christmas celebration, while Maren hung out with Nana and her sixth graders. Carsyn's class also had a fun "play day." What a great way to end the first half of the school year!

Logan doing a fun Holiday craft...

Tonight we're meeting the girls' friends for dinner and "The Tale of Despereaux!" Can't wait...

Carsyn's Christmas Party...

Carsyn's pre-kindergarten class gave a short Christmas performance for the parents today. They were so cute and did a really awesome job singing the songs and rhymes they learned. Afterward they had lots of yummy treats. What a fun school day, and Maren was so excited to get to take part in it...especially snack time!

Carsyn after her musical debut...

Logan's Christmas Program...

Last night Logan, along with her class, and the rest of the students in Kindergarten through Fourth grade entertained the school with a Christmas musical called "Miracle at Midnight." All the children worked really hard and it turned out really well. Logan's class were the sheep--very cute! The show didn't start until 7:30, so it was a pretty late night for us. Hopefully, we'll get the girls to be much earlier than that tonight...fingers crossed.

Little Lamb Logan, pre-performance...

Brunch with Santa...

This afternoon we went downtown to the John F. Kennedy Center for brunch with Santa at the Roof Terrace. The food was delicious and the views were amazing!!! The girls had a great time. We even got Maren to sit on Santa's lap! The Kennedy Center is very impressive...we definitely recommend it to anyone visiting D.C. Only ten more days 'til Christmas!

Let's eat...

Santa Claus is comin' to town...

The view from the Roof Terrace...

Sugar Plum Fairies...

Every few Saturdays the National Theater puts on FREE performances for children. We had never got the girls up and going in time to see one before. But, this morning we took the girls because the show was called "Nutcracker in a Nutshell." This shortened version of the Nutcracker was perfect for them, and they LOVED it!!! Even Maren sat through the performance really well, and clapped for every ballerina. Afterward, we walked a couple of blocks over on Pennsylvania to get a better look at the White House Christmas tree. While the girls enjoyed seeing the tree and all the other trees from each of the states and territories, that did not stop them from complaining about having to walk and be outside in 35 degree weather.

Waiting for the show at the National Theater...

The girls (who refused to look at the camera) in front of the White House Christmas tree...

Upon returning to the parking garage, we realized that it was "cash only." So, we went to the ATM where Daddy realized that he did not have is wallet. Mommy never carries cash, and was lucky to scrape up $2 in her bag. Fortunately for us, a very nice and generous man paid the difference for us to get our car! Thank you, kind stranger. Don't you just love the Holiday Spirit?!

Rain, Rain Go Away...

We had a little break from the very cold weather. But, in exchange we got rain. At least it wasn't cold and rainy! And, the girls got to wear their really cool rain boots and umbrellas.

Carsyn after school...

Pancakes and Santa...

These are two very special things for our girls! After 10:30 mass we went to the pancake breakfast at our school cafeteria. Of course the girls had already eaten breakfast at home, so this was more like lunch. But, they must have been hungry because they all ate really well. They were very excited to see Santa too. Logan had a bit of a "Ralphie" moment when Santa asked her what she wanted--she couldn't think of anything to say. It's funny...we've been doing the normal "Be good or Santa won't bring you anything this year!" threatening. Logan was quick with the comeback, "I was bad last year and I still got presents." But, when face to face with the "Big Guy" she insisted that she had been good. We'll see... Maren was very talkative with Santa, but refused to go near him without mommy holding her. Carsyn--of course--would have talked his ear off if we would have let her. What a fun morning we had.

The girls with Santa (and mommy)...

Silly girls at home, all sugared up...

Washington Christmas Trees...

Last night we went down town to see the lit Christmas trees. We were not able to attend either of the big Christmas Tree lightings, but it was still neat to see them after the fact. It was very cold, about 36 degrees, so we didn't spend much time out of the car. In fact, by the time we got to the White House Carsyn had fallen asleep, and Logan refused to get out of the car again. Maren was shivering so much that we decided not to walk all the way around the Ellipse to get up closer. Guess we'll have to try it again another day...Tonight we're looking forward to popcorn and two of our favorite movies: High School Musical 1 & 2!

Daddy and the girls at the Capitol Christmas Tree...

Maren at the White House Christmas Tree...

Fall Fun...

Well, it feels more like Winter, but it's not official for two weeks. The weather was decent today and Carsyn had a cute outfit on, so we went outside for a few pictures. Lately Carsyn has been the most cooperative "subject" for photos--that's why there have been so many of her recently. Plus, it's good to give her (our "in between"; not "middle" daughter) some special attention!

Turkey Weekend...

It was so great to have a long, four-day weekend. We had such plans to do lots of fun stuff...but, we pretty much stayed home and relaxed. After the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner that Nana cooked for us, we went to the park down the street. Even though it was pretty chilly, we had a blast and stayed until it got pretty dark. Then we had a fun movie night with popcorn.

Logan at the park...

Carsyn at the park...

Maren at the park...

We stayed away from the malls on Friday (Mommy did all her shopping online instead.) We went downtown to take some Christmas card pictures at the Jefferson Memorial.

The girls on their Christmas card photo shoot...

Logan...

Carsyn...

Maren...

On Saturday we did absolutely nothing. Daddy had worked nights all week, so we all stayed home and were pretty lazy. Although, we did put up our Christmas tree (after finally putting away all our Halloween decorations.) On Sunday, we went up to Tyson's Corner to do a little shopping. Our intention was to do Santa pictures, but the line was ridiculous. Instead, we ate an early dinner at C.P.K.--it was yummy! It was hard getting back into our school routine this morning, but only 24 more days until Christmas!

Happy Holidays...