Madelyn and Ellie on Ice

I was determined to get Madelyn and Ellie out of the house this morning.  We have had way too many cold days the last couple of weeks and we all needed a morning of fresh air.  Bill and I decided to try ice skating with the girls.  There is an outside rink downtown called RVA on Ice and it is free for Virginia Farm Bureau members so it did not cost us a dime.  It was the perfect winter morning activity.   I had assumed that Ellie would be too young and not interested in ice skating so I figured we would watch from the side.  However, when we found out they had skates her size, she surprised us by wanting to put them on and give it a try.   The girls did not last very long on the ice, but they had a good time and want to do it again sometime.  Bill is great on the ice and was awesome with the girls.  I am not an ice skater and spent my time on the ice holding onto the wall.  If I let go, I was sure I was going to fall and break something since I had a little person holding onto me.  After ice skating, the girls made s'mores by the fire pit and we headed to Bottoms Up Pizza for a yummy lunch! 

It Finally Snowed!

Madelyn and Ellie have been asking us when it is going to snow for a while now.   Luckily, we got  some snow last night and had our first snow day.  It wasn't much but it was enough to be off from school and have a morning of fun before it started to melt.  The snow also gave us a 4-day weekend as an added bonus.   Here are some pictures from our snow day:

Starting a New Year

I always dread the winter months, but the winter also brings a lighter schedule and more quality time at home which is very nice after the Christmas frenzy.  I think Madelyn and Ellie have enjoyed being at home to play with their new toys, watch movies and just relax.  Last week, we were very lucky to have a little spurt of warmer weather and spent a lot of time outside which was so refreshing and just what we needed!  Here are some photos from our week:



Sisterly Love

Today we visited the UR Lake for a walk, lunch and trip to Sweet Frog for ice cream!

Sweet Cousins

We also celebrated Aunt Amy's birthday last week!

The iPad is also a favorite during the winter months!

Last Sunday was warm and sunny and the girls played outside for almost 5 hours straight. Ellie was happy she got to skip her nap and sport her Pats dress for the big game!

Scenes from Christmas

Our Christmas break is coming to an end and we have really enjoyed getting together with friends and family along with lots of relaxing, eating, and sleeping in.  Here are some random photos from the last couple of weeks:

Getting into the holiday spirit playing dress-up with the Moore boys!

It's not Christmas in Richmond unless you visit some tacky light houses!




Two Peas in a Pod

Making cookies for Santa!



Polar Express Movie Night

Cheers to a New Year!

Our Annual New Year's Eve get together with good friends!

Madelyn and I made a trip up to Northern Virginia for a JMU reunion.  Ellie stayed home with Daddy because she was getting over a fever.

 

JMU girls plus kiddos minus Ellie and Bobby

Annual Bertoni, Costley, Pickels, Nolan and Mcguire get together!

More presents!

Madelyn loves her new tea set for Aunt Doris and Uncle Harold!



Watching Cousin Justin launch a rocket in the Parke Commons area!

Uncle Harold explaining the rocket to the kids!