Fall Weekend Fun

Fall is in full swing at our house!  On Friday, we enjoyed a Pizza Picnic at Madelyn's school followed by S'mores at the Moores.  It was a really fun and late night for us but was well worth the cranky kids the following day.  The adults enjoyed red wine by the fire and the kids had fun watching a late night movie under blankets.  On Saturday, we went to a neighbor's river house for a  Pig Roast.  The food was yummy, view was beautiful and Madelyn and Ellie played their first game of football!

Lewis Ginter Botantical Gardens

Last Thursday, Madelyn had a half day off from school so we decided to do something fun and outdoors that afternoon.  Our neighbor graciously invited us to join her at Lewis Ginter with some other friends of ours.  Since she has volunteered at the park in the past, she got us in for free and gave us a fantastic tour of the place.  The girls and I have been to Lewis Ginter a good amount over the years but Bess was able to show us parts of the Gardens that we did not even know existed.  The girls especially enjoyed all of the "secret" gardens. It was so nice having Madelyn home for the entire afternoon and spending such a nice afternoon with good friends!

The girls loved the butterfly exhibit!

Elllie is finally a ballerina!

Ellie has been asking to take ballet lessons for 2 years. After having to wait in the changing area for her older sister week after week, Ellie was very happy that it was finally her turn to dance.  She's taking a little creative movement class for 3-4 year olds at CVDA and today was her first class.  She was so excited to put on her leotard, tights and insisted that I put her hair in a bun.  She was all smiles and had a great first lesson!

Disney on Ice

On Sunday, Nana and I took the girls to see the Let's Celebrate Disney on Ice show.  It was not the best Disney on Ice show we have seen but the girls still loved it.  They had fun dressing up in their princess dresses and enjoyed seeing all the characters perform.  Ellie was really happy to see her favorite character, Pluto, and Madelyn loved seeing Princess Tiana.  Disney always puts on a great show and it was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon while Daddy was at the Redskins game!

Day on the Northen Neck

On Saturday, we spent the day on the Northern Neck with Buster and Donna. They live in a beautiful home right on the water and were kind enough to let us take over their house for the day.  We had an awesome BBQ lunch, visited their sail boat and got to ride on their speed boat.  The kids absolutely love visiting Buster and Donna and had a blast.  Madelyn said her favorite part was the whole day. We are staring to make this a annual visit and we look forward to it every year!

Madelyn drew a picture of the view for Buster and Donna.  It was a picture of the pier and boat and she was so proud of it!

Daisy Girl Scouts

Madelyn had her first Daisy Girl Scout meeting yesterday.  She is very excited that she is in a troop with 11 other girls from our neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Many of the girls were on the swim team this past summer which makes it extra fun.  I am a co-leader for the troop and have really enjoyed working with the other troop leader and learning everything there is to know about Girl Scouts.  My co-leader is awesome and super organized.  She was a Girl Scout growing up so she is full of information and is a great mentor.  Madelyn was all smiles during the meeting and has been busy practicing the Girl Scout Sign, handshake and songs ever since.  It was fun to see her interacting with the other girls and was very confident when speaking in front of the group during introductions.  We are very excited about the upcoming year and all the activities planned with the troop!

All ready for the meeting to start!

My little Daisy!

Madelyn and Hattie after the meeting.  They were so excited about wearing their vests and received their Daisy membership pin at the end of the meeting. 

Fun in the Hood

We love our neighbors and really love how we live in a small little neighborhood.  We know everyone which is nice and everyone looks out for each other.  Madelyn and Ellie have made some good friends in our neighborhood and the adults often enjoy cocktail hour in the cul-da -sac on Friday nights and sometimes Saturday and Sunday nights! This past weekend, we joined forces with the two other smaller neighborhoods next to us and had an awesome block party.  We had a great turnout with lots of yummy food and of course a fire pit.  We all stayed out a little too late last night so today was a little rough but it was well worth it!

These kids decided to camp out and eat dinner in the bushes!

The glow sticks were a huge hit!

We are missing quite a few kids in this photo but as you can see, they were having a blast!