Welcome, Winter

December 21 may still be a few weeks out, but the feeling of winter has certainly arrived in the east, with a snow preceding Thanksgiving and temperatures in the 30s and 40s as of late.

We had a treat this Thanksgiving when my in-laws came out for a visit. It really made the holiday special, and was so hard to say goodbye.

With Thanksgiving behind us, of course all the Christmas activities have begun. I took the kids and our dear friend Diana to the annual (though first for us) Norwegian Tree Lighting at Union Station. We didn't stay late enough to see the simulcast broadcast of YoYo Ma at the National Cathedral sadly, but the kids watched the tree lighting, we ate dinner at Shake Shack, and they filled their bellies with passed tins of cookies. Oh, and a Santa sighting too, so a good night by them!

We also made a stop at the US Botanical Garden for their annual train display. This year's theme was train station's throughout the states. I had my fingers crossed that they'd pick Fullerton for California, but LA's Union Station and the other Santa Fe Depot won out-San Diego. Kids were stoked though watching the variety of trains running through, and of course the most famous of all, Thomas.

The afternoon was only in the high 40s, so we ventured around the Capitol grounds for a bit making merriment.

And finally, this weekend we picked out our Christmas tree-a tiny tree for our tiny row house! Not often is your tree the same height as your 5-year-old. Henry and I also had some nice one-on-one time at the Smithsonian American Museum of Art for their ballet day. We made snowflakes, snowglobes, and while he didn't want to pose with any of the Washington Ballet's Nutcracker dancers, he did try a ballet lesson which was great to watch.

And of course we paid our respects to 41. May he rest in peace.

Hello, December

I have already mentioned how this late fall and winter is an entirely different experience than last year, when I was carrying around a newborn...and that's assuming we left the house for more than a grocery trip. While it's still pretty darn cold (and we have our first snowfall forecasted for tomorrow) I'm not as worried about the kids warmth while outside this year, and as such, much more agreeable to outings that might require a longer walk.

Last year, we attempted to visit the Botanical Gardens' holiday train exhibit, but the lines were cah-razy. So, this year, we had our act together and went on December 1 and were able to take it all in without any crowds. 2017's theme is "Roadside Attractions" and each state has a plant-matter model of a roadside attraction represented (California's? The Santa Monica Pier...a little bummed it wasn't Baker's giant thermometer.) Both kids loved the attractions and especially the trains.




Also on our bucket list this holiday season was ice skating, and what better place to do it than in the Sculpture Garden, surrounded by all the Smithsonian Museums?! I haven't been in YEARS and had a moment of anxiety in how I'd be able to handle it and Henry at the same time. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was like riding a bike, and Henry LOVED it. He kept declaring it awesome and was eager to spot Scott and Jo as we made each (sloooow) lap. He is already talking about going again with his dad.

This morning, we made our way to the Library of Congress for a special story time with Paddington Bear, in the flesh fur, which both kids enjoyed. Might have been the promise of cookies, hot chocolate, and marmalade sandwiches that were available after, too.

And of course, no holiday season is complete without a picture of a crying baby in Santa's lap.