Life with Mr. C and Miss E

Snow Days

2012-01-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Western Washington was hit with a snowstorm last week and by Friday we had close to a foot of snow at our house. Coop loved playing in the snow and helped his Daddy make a snow man. The snow was pretty but we are happy to see it melting now.

After the first round on Sunday

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

We were able to enjoy Christmas this year (last year we had just moved into the house and had a 3 1/2 month old, so there wasn't a whole lot of time to decorate). Cooper is now at the age where he can tell something exciting is happening. He loved the Christmas tree and hearing about Santa Claus (seeing him in person was quite different - proof below). He liked opening his first couple presents but lost interest with the rest of the packages (however, he loves playing with all of his new toys). At only one month old, Elliott was happy being passed around the family for snuggle time. I have a feeling next year will be even more fun and Ellie will be running around with her big brother.

Cooper wasn't a fan of Santa this year.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

Christmas morning - checking out his stocking treasures

Ellie with Nana

More excited about tearing the wrapping paper than the Playdoh inside.

Ellie and Grandpa

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

One Month

2011-12-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

Ellie's first month of life has come and gone very quickly! She is a pretty mellow baby - until the sun sets. At night, she turns into a fussy little gal who doesn't want to miss out on anything exciting....at 2 am. We hope she will soon realize that nothing fun happens in the middle of the night and starts sleeping longer. She is an alert baby and is taking in her surroundings. She looks at us and has smiled a few times (I want to believe those smiles aren't just gas....they are so cute!).

One of the best things about having two kids is watching Cooper interact with his little sister. He's already so lovey with her, so hopefully the sweetness continues as they get older. Maybe in high school, he will still come up to her and kiss the top of her head?

It's been a fun but tiring month and we are looking forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for us. (Sorry, no more babies though....our family is now complete).

Sleepy smiles

2011-12-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

Something that happens often nowadays: Ellie falls asleep a) while eating b) while we try to burp her and/or c) in the daytime. She's not quite the awesome night sleeper that Cooper was at this point but with that face, we forgive her. She is quite the cutie pie and is changing so much each day. We can't believe she is almost 1 month old!

Cooper's First Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T10:00:00.001-08:00

Our family of four ventured out to Redmond to cut down our Christmas tree this year. Cooper had a blast exploring through the rows of trees while Elliott took a nice long nap. Cooper also enjoyed seeing a real tractor up close and personal. He's in a big truck and tractor phase right now, so he was very excited. After bringing home the tree, we put the lights on while Cooper was napping. The video below is his reaction on seeing it for the first time.

Tractor Love

Tree Hunting

Naptime

Curious boy

Timber!

Look at my tree!

Elliott is here!

2011-11-30T16:23:00.001-08:00

We are happy to introduce you to Cooper's little sister, Elliott Diane. She arrived last Monday at 7:22 am, all 6lb 15oz of her. She is light as a feather compared to her big bro. Cooper is adjusting well and loves his little sister. He is very sweet with her and likes to wave at her and kiss her head.

Entertained by Peas

2011-11-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

According to Coop, peas are hilarious.

Playing Catch

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Coop is learning how to catch a ball but finds it hard to walk, laugh and catch at the same time.

"Sister"

2011-11-16T20:18:00.001-08:00

Cooper knows that something called "Sister" is in Mama's belly. He likes to give her kisses and love pats. If this is any sign of what's to come, he will be a sweet big brother.

Towers

2011-11-16T20:13:00.001-08:00

One of Cooper's favorite activities is stacking blocks and building towers. But sometimes blocks are just too boring and he gets fancy by adding some other toys to his construction.

Swings and Leaves

2011-11-12T10:48:00.001-08:00

Cooper's favorite outdoor activity seems to be swinging, but this week, he added a new one to his list. At the park, he discovered fallen leaves. We haven't played in the leaves in our yard bc they are always wet and muddy. But Juanita Beach Park on Lake Washington had some nice, dry leaves for C to play in on a sunny, Fall day.

Mr. Moo

2011-11-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last year, Cooper was Charlie Brown for Halloween. This year, he was an adorable cow. Notice how in both photos, he has the same expression on his face? He doesn't seem totally convinced that Halloween is fun but I bet that will change when he goes trick or treating next year and comes home with candy.

Almost 2 months old - 2010

Almost 14 months old - 2011

Our little cow likes to walk everywhere...

...and doesn't like being interrupted to take a family photo.

"Come on, I want to get off this porch."

"I mean it, I am DONE with this photo shoot!"

A Toddler in the House

2011-10-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's official: Cooper is a toddler and prefers walking over crawling now. He loves to walk all over the house, carrying his toys from one room to another. He's a bit unsteady but is cautious and takes it slow (most of the time). We compare his walk to part Frankenstein, part drunken sailor. It's pretty cute to watch. Go ahead, here's a video. :)

Surgery

2011-10-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Cooper had day surgery (for chordee repair, which means correcting a curve in the penis) at Children's last week and we are very happy to report that everything went well. Coop was a great patient and the nurses and surgeon were so nice. We were in and out in about 3 hours and as soon as we got home, it was back to business as usual for C. This video was taken the day of the surgery -happy to be knocking down towers and building them again - what a tough little fella! He is much stronger than his daddy and mama....it was a hard day to get through and we are so glad it's over. Cooper is healing nicely, thank goodness. Now on to the next big event....Baby Sister's arrival! Only about a month to go!

Daddy's Little Bear

2011-10-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Looks like we have a Bears fan in the making.

First Steps

2011-10-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Cooper took his first steps last weekend! He was holding one of his toys and took a couple steps towards his Daddy. He was very proud of himself and now wants to practice walking all the time (with help from whoever wants to hold his hand). I couldn't get to my camera quick enough to capture the first steps but my dad managed to get this video yesterday of Coop walking with his "pop-pop". (I love how he takes a break to do a squat/lunge and then continues on his way). It's only a matter of time before he is running around the house, chasing after Luna.

Birthday Parties

2011-10-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Cooper celebrated his birthday twice - on his actual birthday, my parents had us over for dinner and cake and that weekend we had a birthday party at our house. Cooper had his first taste of a sweet treat and wasn't too sure about the cake. He liked the frosting better.

Next up was the big birthday bash. It was a gorgeous summer day and we had a bbq in our backyard. It was fun to celebrate with our family and friends - we are so fortunate to live so close to family and friends again.

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

2011-09-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Cooper is one year old! We celebrated his birthday last week (party post coming later) and it's amazing how quickly his first year flew by. His personality is shining through and he is a happy and smiley boy. We love you, Coop!

His latest favorites:

- balloons and balls
- walking up and down the hall with anyone who wants to join him (getting so close to taking his first steps by himself)
- playing with magnets on the fridge
- cuddling with soft blankets
- helping Mommy put food in the shopping cart
- brushing his teeth (all two of them)
- books, books and more books!

First Haircut

2011-08-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Cooper's hair was getting a bit too long in the back and even though mullet's may look cute on babies, I decided it was time for a trim. And what better person to give the first haircut than Cooper's Auntie K! She is a stylist at VAIN downtown so he was in very good hands.

Excited about his cape

The Baby Mullet

The Haircut

All trimmed up!

Thanks, Auntie K! I love my new do!

11 months

2011-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

As of today, my baby is 2 weeks away from turning one. Cooper's first year has flown by and he is turning into a little boy. At 11 months, he continues to be active and busy. He still loves opening and closing doors and drawers but now is interested in what he finds inside. He likes to use the laundry basket as a walker and pushes it up and down the hall. The only thing that gets him really frustrated is when he runs into the wall and can't turn around. Maybe he'll learn how to steer next? His daddy walks him around the house and he's started to take some one handed steps. He's getting closer to walking on his own.

Cooper loves blueberries and strawberries but we are still working on other finger foods. The gag reflex issue is not getting much better and hopefully his pediatrician will have some answers for us at his 12 month visit.

Cooper loves to "read" his books. We'll see him crawl into his room and then discover him surrounded by his books, flipping through some of his favorites. We hope his fondness for books lasts forever. As of right now, his bedtime picks are The Hungry Caterpillar, Five Little Ladybugs and I Love You, Good Night.

We are looking forward to his first birthday party in a couple weeks. Ethan's parents will be here from Virginia - C can't wait to see Basha and Gramps! We are excited to celebrate Cooper's first year with our family.

First Camping Trip

2011-08-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Cooper experienced his first camping trip. We drove out to the coast with my parents and sister for a couple days at Mora Campground. I grew up going here each summer and it was fun to show it to Cooper for the first time. He seemed to like camping and especially loved Rialto Beach. Looks like we have a sand lover!

Self-Feeding: Round 1

2011-08-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Cooper attempted to feed himself some lunch...most of it got on his hands and face but he had a good time trying. It's fun to watch him learn new things, especially when he adds sound effects.

10 months

2011-07-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Cooper is actually closer to 11 months than 10 months now....but it took me a while to post this photo. I honestly can't believe he's turning one year old soon. Seems to me this little guy just learned how to roll over last week - and these days he's cruising around the living room with no problem. He even stood by himself a few times in the past week. I wonder if he'll be walking before his birthday....

Cooper's latest and greatest:

*first lower tooth arrived the day before he turned 10 mos

*loves Ritz crackers (but still gags a bit if he gets too much on his tongue)

*holds his bottle on his own and is almost a sippy cup pro

*loves anything with wheels

*pushing chairs around the dining room makes him smile (I let him do it because it's good practice for walking)

*points at things and makes a sound like "huh?" (translation: what is that?)

*fascinated by hanging light fixtures

*always on the go....which makes diaper changing and getting dressed a two person job

*plays peek-a-boo with curtains and pillows

First Fourth

2011-07-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

We stayed in town for the Fourth of July - had a relaxing day at home and then went to my aunt and uncle's house in Wallingford. As a kid, it was always a July 4th tradition to meet the rest of the family there for food and fireworks. This year was a little different because most of the cousins weren't there and we missed the fireworks part. When you have a baby whose ideal bedtime is 8 pm, 10 pm fireworks aren't in the cards. Maybe in a few years, when the kids can enjoy them together and staying up past their bedtime is a treat. Here are a few family photos from the holiday (plus a few outtakes...flag waving is tricky).

Daddy, let me show you how to hold a flag.

Maybe I can reach this plant if I use the flag...

I see something cooler than Mommy's camera down there.

I like to show Mommy I can still blow raspberries.

I love clapping!

A Growing Family

2011-07-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's a Girl!

Reorganizing

2011-07-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

One of Cooper's favorite games is playing with clothes. He loves pulling them out of baskets, twirling them around and then throwing them on the floor. If only he knew how to fold....

5 years of marriage

2011-07-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Ethan and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary in June. We went on a weekend getaway to Bellingham while C had fun with Grandma and Grandpa. It was interesting to be in my old college town and see what's changed and what has stayed the same. I can't believe it's been 10 years since I graduated from Western! Ethan and I enjoyed spending time as a couple and someday, we'll bring Cooper to see where his mommy went to college.

We went to Larabee State Park and visited the spot where our life together began....

The proposal site -this is the rock where Ethan gave me a rock.

6 years younger

6 years older - the only thing that's changed is Ethan's hair, right?

2 cross country moves + 1 NY/VA move + sweet Cooper + 2 home purchases + 1 home sale =

5 eventful and happy years of marriage!

First Father's Day

2011-06-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was super special because it was Ethan's first day off in two weeks. He's been working very hard, putting in lots of long hours at the office (thus the beard) and Cooper was very happy to spend the day with his Daddy.

Yard Work Laughter

2011-06-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

One afternoon, while Ethan cut down the bambo in our yard, I walked around looking for plants to deadhead. I had Cooper with me and as soon as I started plucking dead pansies, he started cracking up so loudly that Ethan could hear him on the other side of the yard. When I showed Ethan what made Cooper laugh so hard, this is what happened:

3/4 of a year!

2011-06-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Cooper is 9 months old! He had his check-up yesterday and Dr. Miller confirmed that C is a healthy boy. And by healthy, we mean big. He weighs 21 lb 8 oz (80th percentile), is just about 30 inches long (90th percentile) and his head circumference ranks in the 95th percentile. Still no teeth, but the doc says not to be worried.

Coop is a quick mover, he loves to crawl after Luna and surprisingly, she is pretty tolerant of him. But she is still faster and can easily escape his grasp. He started "cruising" which apparently means walking himself along the coffee table or couch. He really loves yogurt but isn't quite ready for cheerios yet. Our attempts at giving finger foods failed and often end up in dramatic gags from Cooper. We'll stick with the purees for a little while longer.

He loves to play "catch" and has figured out how to stack blocks. He likes knocking them down best though. He likes being outside and could probably play in the wood chips or grass for hours. This is how I got him to sit still for this month's photo - the grass mesmerized him and he sat for a while. I'm sure this will change soon enough and he'll want to explore the yard.

First Mother's Day

2011-05-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

I love my sweet boy and am so lucky to have him as my son. Thank you for making me a mommy, Cooper!

8 months

2011-05-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned 8 months earlier this month. He added pull-ups and crawling to his resume, along with the title of Official Door Closer. He loves any kind of door, from the kitchen cabinets to the closets. As long as he can open and close it, he is happy. Which promptly made me go out and buy baby locks for the off limits doors. He is a curious little guy and we have to be one step ahead of him. I still haven't figured out how to keep him from getting into Luna's water dish....

On the Move

2011-05-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Baby gate - check!

The Latest Milestone - A Pull Up

2011-05-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Cooper started weightlifting at my parents house last weekend. He tried and succeeded at picking up a 3 pound weight. His arms are very strong now and as a result, C pulled himself up for the first time yesterday. It was very exciting to watch and he was so proud of himself. :)

Mastering the Crawl

2011-05-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Our little guy has become quite mobile and is working on perfecting his crawling moves. He likes to scoot backwards but lately has been taking some crawl steps toward either a person or his toys. We may be celebrating his 8 month birthday (on Friday) by putting up the baby gate.

We Survived

2011-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

I took a hiatus from blogging for a couple weeks, mainly because our family was hit with the stomach flu...the exact same week Ethan's parent's were visiting us from Virginia. It was not the visit they were expecting, I'm sure, but at least we got to spend time together. And unfortunately, I did not take any pictures during their time with us, I was too focused on C getting better. Luckily, Cooper is back to 100% now and eating up a storm again. We are looking forward to September when Basha and Gramps come back to Seattle for C's birthday.

"I'm ready for the sun!"

2011-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Having fun with Daddy's glasses

7 months old (and squirmy)

2011-04-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

Cooper is on the verge of crawling, which means he no longer likes to sit still. This made his 7 month photo shoot a little more challenging than the others. Here are some of the "action" shots.

The winning shot

Daddy is Funny

2011-03-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

"My Daddy likes to make funny faces and noises. I think it's hysterical."

An Expanding Diet

2011-03-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

Trying to feed himself sweet potatoes

Cooper is trying new foods now and loving every bite (most of the time). After subsisting only on formula for the first 4 months of his life, he is excited to add more diverse dishes to his daily menu. He's a fan of rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, prunes, apples, mango, peas, carrots and blueberries. He makes funny faces and spits out avocado and bananas. Guess we'll have to sneak those in somehow...

Prune face

The Official Family Page Turner

2011-03-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ethan taught C a new trick. He now helps his Daddy turn the pages during story time.

6 months old!

2011-03-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Halfway to turning one year old! Seems like yesterday we were taking him home from the hospital. At 6 months old, Cooper is on track to being a very big boy. He's almost 28 inches long and 18 lb 9 oz heavy. And I mean HEAVY. He is a very sturdy baby, sitting up great and really trying to crawl. He can get on all fours but gets stuck with what to do next. He turns his unsure-ness into a pretty fancy move - a faceplant ending in a quick roll to his back.

In position

"What now?"

Faceplant!

Post-roll

Also, we are pretty sure he will be a genius. His head circumference is now in the 98th percentile. That's right, his head is larger than 98% of babies his age....which explains why the baby sunglasses I bought him don't seem to fit right.

Cooper is a fun baby and does many tricks to make us laugh. He's been into blowing raspberries lately and has been known to spit at anyone who is within range.

Beeps

2011-03-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

If we are ever in need of a toy for C, all we have to do is set the timer on Ethan's watch for loads of entertainment!

Giggles

2011-03-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Cooper enjoys many things, but his exersaucer may be one of his favorites. Or maybe he just likes it when people make funny faces at him.

The Latest and Greatest....

2011-02-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

...from Cooper's fifth month...

Rockin' the NW look

Walk the Bases at Mariner's Fan Fest

Visitor's Dugout

Baseball Time with Grandpa

Felix's locker in the clubhouse (make room for his Cy Young trophy)

a Guti-style catch for sure

Coop really enjoyed his first visit to Safeco Field

bouncing away at Grandma and Grandpa's (sorry for the sideways video)

Practicing his football hold

"look, everyone, I can sit up on my own!"

Graduated from rice cereal to oatmeal

"my mommy and daddy can't believe I'm 5 months old already!"

4 Month Milestones

2011-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Coop celebrated his 4 month birthday by rolling over for the first time! It was perfect timing - he rolled from tummy to back about an hour before his appt with his pediatrician.

At the doctor appointment, we got the green light to start C on solids. He likes the rice cereal but at first, he got more on himself than in his mouth.

The Last Few Months...

2011-02-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

What can I say except this.....what just happened? The last 5 months have been a whirlwind of events. But we survived and are very thankful that everything worked out as well as we hoped. We sold our house in Virginia just as we were closing on our new house.

I would not recommend doing the following at the same time (unless you crave high stress situations):

1. Have a baby

2. Buy a house

3. Sell a house

4. Drive cross-country with a 3 month old and a cat who doesn't like car rides.

Now that we are back on the West Coast, getting settled in our new house, it's nice to finally take some time to breathe and blog. Here is our life since Sept squeezed into a slideshow:

The First Month

2010-10-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

My blogging time has decreased dramatically due to a certain little person who needs my attention. :) Cooper is a wonderful baby - I may jinx myself here but he only cries when he's hungry or needs a diaper change. He's growing so quickly and has graduated to size 1 diapers and 3M clothes. Nothing newborn about him now - at his one month check up, he weighed in at 9 lb 13 oz.

Here are some photos from Mr. C's first month:

First NFL Sunday with Daddy

Smiling during his birth announcement photo shoot

Meeting Grandma and Grandpa

Meeting Basha and Gramps

Peaceful sleeper

Our family

First walk

So many cute clothes for this little guy

Very animated

Snuggle time with mommy

Trying out the Baby Bjorn with Daddy

Happy boy

Trying out the Moby Wrap with Mommy

Sad about the Mariner's disappointing season

More snuggles

Cooper's new buddy, Ben

with Auntie K

Tummy time

One month old

As the Baby Bump Grows

2010-09-29T01:18:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this before Cooper was born but didn't get to it in time. These past 10 months flew by and it seems like so long ago that I was pregnant. I must say, it's nice to be holding my baby boy in my arms instead of my belly...

15 weeks

17 weeks

19 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks

30 weeks

32 weeks

34 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

38 weeks

39 weeks

40.5 weeks

and finally, on Sept 6, I got to hold Baby Cooper in my arms.

He's Here!

2010-09-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Introducing the cutest and newest addition to our family:

Cooper Thomas Via

A Labor Day Baby

7lbs 9oz

22 inches

We are filled with love for this little guy. We can't wait to have our family and friends to meet him!

The Garden

2010-08-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Our backyard was pretty ugly when we moved in last summer....and we finally did something about it during the spring. The holly trees were removed, the layers of white rock and bark were dug up and only the crepe myrtle was spared. Then the clay breaker and new topsoil filled the beds and the planting began.

Ethan's always wanted to grow hot peppers, so we started some red and jalapeño pepper seeds (unfortunately, only the red peppers survived). We also planted some brussel sprouts seedlings, which we just found out take 6 months to produce sprouts. Good thing we planted these in April, so we just might be able to enjoy them before we move. I also planted some wild flower seeds, dahlia bulbs, bleeding heart and my favorite, sweet peas. All the flowers have done well, except the sweet peas. Apparently, they don't appreciate the hot and muggy Virginia summer. We love the way the garden turned out and it's nice to have something pretty to look at in the backyard.

Before

After

Ethan's prized peppers

The first pepper harvest - time to make some hot sauce!

A "Handmade" Photo Shoot

2010-08-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to capture the memory of my first pregnancy, our first baby and my first baby bump with some photographs. When I looked into rates for professional photographers, I couldn't believe the prices I saw! So I thought, with my tripod and camera, I could try to take these photos myself. I don't have the Photoshop and lighting skills of a pro but I am happy with how they turned out. And now we will forever remember this special moment in our lives.

The Nursery

2010-08-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

With only 9 days until our baby's due date, our house is officially ready for the new resident. Here is his completed nursery; however, Luna seems to think this is her room too...

Daddy assembling the crib

Job well done

It's a safe bet that Luna won't like this spot once there are dirty diapers nearby...

Our nursery project is complete.

Here's hoping there's lots of sleeping done in this crib.

Harper's Ferry

2010-08-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ethan's mom stayed with us last weekend and on Saturday we decided to go on a day trip. We drove to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, which is about a 45 minute drive from our house. It also happened to be a free admission weekend at all National Parks, our lucky day! We parked at the visitor's center and took the shuttle bus down to the historic town of Harper's Ferry. It's located at where the Potomac and Shenandoah River's converge and the view is beautiful. There were people dressed in Civil War era clothes and Union soldiers walking the town. The Appalaichan Trail runs through Harper's Ferry and we took a short walk on the trail to Jefferson Rock. Thomas Jefferson stood at that rock in the late 1700's and admired the view of the rivers. It was fun to visit someplace new and we wish we hadn't waited this long to do it. We are hoping to take my parents here, depending on how things go with the baby and when he decides he wants to be born.

Volunteers dressed in Civil War outfits

Historic Harper's Ferry

Jefferson Rock

Appalaichan Trail via train trestle over the Potomac

Shenandoah River and inner tubers

West Coast, here we come!

2010-08-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Photo Copyright - Paul Townend

Ethan received the phone call we've been waiting for! He is being transferred back to Seattle and we will be moving by December. We are super excited to come back to Seattle and put down our roots. It hasn't truly sunk in yet but life is about to get a little crazy: a cross country move with a newborn. It will be hard to move away from Ethan's family, especially now that everyone is in Virginia again but it's comforting to know we will be surrounded by a great support system in Seattle with my family and friends and lots of baby sitters. :)

Charlottesville

2010-08-12T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from a recent visit to Charlottesville - home of the University of Virginia (Ethan and Matt's alma mater). We met Ethan's parents, Matt, Courtney and the kiddos for a day at the University founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. First stop, sandwiches at Littlejohn's NY Deli, a big part of Ethan's college diet. Next, we walked around the beautiful and historic campus, visiting the Rotunda, the Lawn and the Range.

The Rotunda

The Lawn

Walking to the Range (location of Ethan's grad school housing)

Famous residents of 31 West Range - Woodrow Wilson and Ethan Via

In front of Ethan's room

Another famous resident of the Range - Edgar Allen Poe

Poe's room

A Family Fourth

2010-08-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Once again, all of the Via's are living in Virginia! To celebrate the occasion ( and July 4th), everyone met up at our place for a Via family get-together. Ethan's sister drove over from Virginia Beach, his brother from Richmond and his parents from Roanoke. To make it even more special, Ethan's dad picked up Nana in Maryland and brought her down for the weekend. We had a great time being together - trips to the pool, BBQ-ing, a water balloon fight and fireworks.

Family photo

Pool time

Sun time

Foot phone

Water balloons

Waiting for the fireworks at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg

Uncle time

Charlie's Angels

Still waiting...

Let the fireworks begin

4th of July fun on the 5th - Break out the Pop-It's

The Pop-It dance

Garden helper

Seattle: Part 3 - Go M's!

2010-07-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Let me start this post by saying....I LOVE my new camera! It was a birthday present from Ethan and I tested out the fantastic zoom while at a few Mariner's games. I saw three games - the first with my dad vs. the Tigers (W), the second with Ethan vs. the Twins(W) and the third with my whole family vs. the Angels (Big Fat L). We had the best seats ever for the first two games and I was able to get some closeups of the team. Here's the baseball montage:

The day Junior announced his retirement - and we found out at the game! Sad day.

Celebrating Ichiro's winning hit!

My first and only time seeing Cliff Lee pitch for the M's.

Turn back the clock day...to the 1990's.

Figgins

It's Hammer Time for the grounds crew.

Pretty views from 3rd level

Mt. Rainier as seen from Safeco

Seattle: Part 2 - Baby Shower

2010-07-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

My mom threw me a baby shower while I was home. It was nice to see all my family and friends together to celebrate Cooper. Thank you for all your generosity! Cooper is one lucky boy. :)

I'm glad my sis (soon-to-be-Auntie) was in town and could make it to the shower.

Seattle: Part 1 - Grandpa's 80th

2010-06-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

One of the reason's Kathleen, Ethan and I flew home was to celebrate our Grandpa Thomas' 80th birthday. It was a special day with the entire Thomas family that started with a trip to Safeco Field (where the M's were blown out by the Angels) and ended with a pizza party at my aunt and uncle's farm. Here are the photos from the day:

On the big screen

The birthday boy and Grandma

A beautiful day for a game

Turn Back the Clock Day - to the 1990's

U Can't Touch This - Grounds crew danced in Hammer pants

The family made a memory book for Grandpa.

Big Thomas Family

Small Thomas Family

Happy 80th, Grandpa!

Trampoline Fun with Carly

Stay Tuned...

2010-06-24T11:10:00.001-07:00

I have quite a bit to post but haven't had time yet to sit down and do it. Stay tuned for lots of Seattle photos: Grandpa's 80th birthday party, Mariners games, baby shower, etc...

But until then, enjoy this shot of Mt. Rainier behind Lake Washington. :)

American Odyssey Relay

2010-05-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Last month, Ethan ran the American Odyssey Relay with a group of co-workers. There were 12 runners in the group and they took turns covering the 200 mile race course from Gettysburg, PA to Washington, DC. Ethan ran 3 legs of the relay for a total of about 19 miles. He had a great time and would definitely do it again. Maybe Hood to Coast next year?

Babymoon in Disney World

2010-05-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ethan and I took our last vacation as a couple with no children, our "baby-moon". We went to Disney World for a long weekend, stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and got a 3-day park pass. It was a different Disney experience being pregnant, since most of the rides I like to go on were off limits. "Expectant mothers should not ride" was a sentence I saw many times. However, there was one perk to being pregnant- we both got fast passes for the popular rides with long lines and Ethan could ride twice in a row and not have to wait in line. Then I would find a bench in the shade to wait. We also went on most of the tamer rides like Dumbo, Tom Sawyer's Island, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates and luckily I was able to go on Soarin' at Epcot. We had a fun trip, even though it was ridiculously HOT that weekend, and enjoyed our time together.

The Wilderness Lodge - view from our room. We would definitely recommend this hotel - great pool, convenient ferry that goes straight to Magic Kingdom, nice restaurant - Artist Point - that serves Pacific NW food.

Since our hotel was modeled after Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn, it would not have been complete without a geyser that blows every hour.

Our first full day - Magic Kingdom

Waiting for the park to open

The Castle

Crossing the wobbly bridges on Tom Sawyer's Island

Epcot - 2010 Flower and Garden Festival - lots of topiary's of the Disney characters around the park

Fairy Garden

Dumbo

Grand Floridian Resort, Narcoosee's, where we had dinner our last night.

Waiting for the ferry at Grand Floridian to take us to the Magic Kingdom for the light parade and fireworks

T-Rex restaurant at Downtown Disney - we ate in the Ice Cave. After walking around the parks all weekend in 90+ heat, an ice cave sounded nice.

Tinker Toys at Downtown Disney

Enjoying out Mickey Mouse ice cream on our last day

Side Story: A discovery on our deck at the hotel

On the first morning, I saw this bird and a nest up in the eaves of our hotel deck.

On the third morning, Ethan was on the deck and noticed this un-birdlike object on the nest. Creepy. The hotel's pest management crew came to our room and got rid of the snake while we were out at the park.

San Francisco Travels

2010-04-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

I spent some time with Kathleen in San Francisco for her birthday last weekend. The weather was perfect and we got to do some sightseeing outside. We got pampered on the day I arrived - facials at Aveda. We shopped downtown on Friday - I found some cute things that work with my growing belly. On Saturday, K cut my hair (love it) and we went to the Ferry Building farmer's market down on the waterfront. For K's birthday on Sunday, we had a yummy brunch at her favorite spot, Zazie. Then we had a relaxing rest of the day, had a good salmon dinner at home and some pastry treats from a local store. It was a fun weekend and I'm glad it was so laidback, because I am finding out that pregnancy and time zone changes don't work very well together.

At the Ferry Building

Warning: things may appear bigger than they really are in this picture.

Bay Bridge

Ferry Building Clock Tower

K and Water World-esque fountain

K's cat Meep (or Meepster, Meepers, Meeples)

New apartment

Happy Birthday, Kathleen! Thanks for letting me come and stay with you. :)

It's a Boy!

2010-04-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

We had our 20-week ultrasound appointment last week. It was so fun to see how the baby has grown and to look at all the different parts. We are pretty sure Baby Via is a boy but he was a little shy and didn't let us have a very long viewing of his parts. We go back for another ultrasound next week because there was one view that the doctor couldn't get clearly on the screen - hopefully next week the baby has switched positions and cooperates fully. So we'll get another chance to confirm he is indeed a baby boy. :)

Easter in Roanoke

2010-04-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter weekend with Ethan's parents. It was a nice, relaxing weekend and we had a great time. We took advantage of the nice weather and took a few family photos.

The "three" of us

Ethan and his parents

In bloom

Beautiful Cherry Blossoms

2010-04-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I went into the city to see the Cherry Blossom Festival. I drove to the nearest Metro station and took the train into DC. I've always wanted to see the cherry trees in bloom and realized this may be my only chance. If all goes as planned, we may be back in Seattle by the time the trees bloom again next year.

It was a beautiful day, temps in the high 70s and clear skies. I walked around the Tidal Basin, stopping along the way to take lots of photos. The trees were in peak bloom and it was an amazing sight! I didn't post all of the pics but here are some of my favorites (I went overboard with the Washington Monument but everywhere you go, you can see it.)

Weekend in Richmond

2010-04-09T12:13:00.001-07:00

We went to Richmond a few weekends ago to see Matt and Courtney and the kids, plus Basha and Gramps. We had fun playing outside (frisbee, baseball, football, you name it) and enjoyed a spring cookout with Matt's new grill. We even got to see P's Blast Ball (T-Ball) game!

Miss A showing off her new sunglasses.

Just love this pic! Uncle Ethan did some nice photog work here.

Tossing the frisbee

Swing time

Cheering section

Getting ready for a big hit!

Coach Matt/Daddy and the Red Wings

Tackling the Backyard

2010-03-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate the first weekend of Spring and weather in the 70s than to turn our ugly backyard into a real garden. So long ugly holly bushes and thick layers of white rock and mulch. Ethan did all the hard work - digging up the bushes and filling bag after bag of rocks.

Before

Ethan has some major blisters after all that digging...

No more white rock and mulch mixture.

After

Ethan made my job easy - after he spread the new soil, I planted! Here are my sweet peas. I also planted bleeding hearts, dahlias and wildflowers. I still have some salvia and columbine seedlings growing indoors and will plant some veggies in a few weeks. Ethan will finally get to grow the peppers he's been dreaming about for years.

Weekend in Florida

2010-03-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

Ethan and I went to Jacksonville in February to visit his sister and her kids. It was a great escape from the snow and cold we had up here! The weekend was full of birthday celebrations (Maddie turned 11!), dock walks, tasty vittles and kayaking. We had a fun time and are so excited for them to move to Virginia this summer!

Maddie and her Kit-Kat cake

Presents!

Graham and his hand print in his school lunchroom. We had lunch dates with the kids at their school.

Uncle Ethan, master tank builder

Happy the tank is complete! And Uncle Ethan is too....

A walk on the dock

Spanish moss - do not touch or you might get an unwanted visitor - chiggers.

Rope swing

Dock gymnast

Graham is getting ready to feed the fish some bread.

Our nieces are growing up so fast!

Mother and son time

Dinner at Whitey's Fish Camp - here's the tasty vittles! We tried the gator - I liked my shrimp better. Fun dinner outside by the speed boat dock.

Cuddles

Kayaking at Amelia Island

My rowing partner - thank goodness for her gymnast arms because I got tired out there!

Ethan and Kira

Kira LOVED the water!

A beautiful way to end the visit.

Thanks Erin, Maddie, Kira and Graham for being such great hostesses/host! And we are glad the sun showed up for us too. We can't wait to see you all (and Mark) this summer.

A Winter to Remember

2010-02-24T14:00:00.001-08:00

My first winter in Virginia just so happens to be the snowiest winter in history. Wonderful. I think we are all ready for February to be over! We had 36 inches of snow fall over a span of 5 days and the entire DC area was at a stand still. The federal government was shut down for 4 days and Ethan had an impromptu vacation (although shoveling snow and having cabin fever isn't exactly the ideal vacation). But we survived and 2010 will surely be a year to remember, for more reasons than just lots of snow. :)

Our deck
Thigh high

Taking shelter

The blizzard photo album:

Blizzard 2010

Virginia is for Lovers

2010-01-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

This is the motto for the Commonwealth of Virginia. No joke. When Ethan first told me, I thought he was kidding. But then I saw the Virginia website and there it was. And now we have proof that this statement is true. Please scroll down...

That's right! We are having a baby! We found out on Christmas Eve while we were in Seattle and it was the best present we could ever get. We told our parents, siblings and grandparents and kept it a secret from extended family and friends until we got the green light from our practitioner to spread the news. We had an ultrasound last week and got to see the baby's heart pumping strong and legs/arms moving! The due date is 09.01.10 - we could have a Labor Day baby!
There's the little guy/gal, still in the "bean" stage. In person, we could make out the parts of the baby, but the printout is still a little fuzzy. The head is on the right, the lighter part in the center is the heart and the behind is on the left. Still too early to tell if it's a boy or girl, but we should find out in a couple months. Right now, we are enjoying our free time while we have it and brainstorming baby names. We are thinking Walter Payton, Edgar or Ichiro if it's a boy. Just kidding.

32nd BDay

2010-01-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

I turned 32 this month, which wasn't a big deal. The big deal was that I got a wonderful present from Ethan! He surprised me with a shopping trip to Best Buy and let me pick out a new camera! I've been wanting a new one for months now, ever since I realized that the zoom on my point and shoot camera is not worthy of being called zoom. And night shots were a little terrible too. So I was very excited about this present! I picked out a Canon Power Shot SX20 IS and can't wait to learn how to use it.

Ethan's parents came up for the weekend and we had a nice time. The weather was freezing cold so we pretty much stayed indoors, except for my birthday dinner. The Berger's came over too and we all drove into Leesburg for a nice dinner. A really nice dinner. We went to a restaurant called Lightfoot, located in a restored turn of the century bank building. Everything about dinner was excellent, the food, waitstaff, company - a perfect birthday! Lightfoot has become our go-to special occasion restaurant.

Basha (Ethan's mom, Marcia) playing with Luna. Luna did great and only hid when the kiddos came over. :) She's no longer scared of every "stranger" that comes into the house. Just the louder, little ones.

Thanks to Ethan, Warren and Marcia for a fun birthday weekend!

Christmas in Seattle

2010-01-06T14:46:00.001-08:00

Our trip to Seattle almost didn't happen. The day we were supposed to fly out of DC, a HUGE snowstorm (one for the history books) dumped 20 inches of snow in our town. Our tickets were for the 5:30 pm flight and we knew that wasn't going to happen. We decided to try our luck and drive to Reagan National early in the morning and see if we could get on standby. Here is what our day looked like: w0ke up at 2 am, left house at 3 am, drove to Reagan with 4 inches of snow already on the roads, made it to Reagan safely, wait in line at Alaska ticket counter, look at all the cancelled flights on the departures board, made it to the counter, got tickets on the 8 am flight (which was changed to a 7 am departure time), waited at the gate, the plane is covered in snow, waited for the crew to arrive, boarded, sitting, waiting some more, de-icing our plane, an hour later, we taxied to the runway, surrounded by the biggest plows I've ever seen, and finally....TAKEOFF! It was a little scary because all we could see out the windows was white blurriness. Once we got in the air, the pilot announces that we were the last plane to leave Reagan - the airport closed right after because the visibility was so poor. Ethan and I thanked our lucky stars that everything went right for us that day.

This is an example of what our deck may have looked like in the snow. This photo was borrowed from our HOA website - that big mound on the left? That's a grill. It would have been fun to experience such a big snowfall but we are also glad we made it to Seattle. The way this winter is going, we may have more snow coming our way...

As usual, our trip was a whirlwind. It's always hard to meet up with everyone we want to see but we did a pretty good job this time around. Here's what we did:

Devon and her baby girl Stella flew in from Spokane for the weekend. We got to see them, Trinette and her daughter,Gwen and Erin at the local IHOP for a pre-Seahawks game breakfast. It was great to see everyone, even if it was for a short time.

Ethan and Stella

Cutie pie Gwen and Trinette

I just love Stella's cheeks! You just want to pinch them!

Making our way to Qwest Field, we passed by M's signage. Couldn't pass this one up without taking a pic!

We made it to our seats in the Hawks Nest - Row SS. I think the SS stands for Super Stairs. There were so many stairs that it made you dread bathroom breaks. But the view was awesome and even though the game was awful, we had fun. It was my first time seeing a Seahawks game at Qwest Field and Ethan's first Hawks game ever.

The Seahawks played the Buccaneers, who had only one win, that is, until they played us.... Ethan was rooting for one Bucs player, Ronde Barber. He's one of the players in the photo above. Ethan went to high school in Roanoke with Ronde and his brother Tiki (who played for the Giants).

I was surprised to see a Bucs fan sitting in front of us. First of all, that's gutsy, sitting in the Hawks Nest wearing all red, all Bucs gear. Second of all, "Big Red" was a character. And I wish I had the photo to prove it.

Kasey Keller, Sounders goalie, raised the 12th Man flag. Pretty cool, until I heard who raised the flag at the next game! Junior!

Kickoff on a sunny, Seattle day.

Did one of Hasselbeck's 4 interceptions happen after this photo? Possible.

Ethan found the Bears flag.

We had a fun day with Danica - full of shopping, eating, and Avatar! That movie is great - see it in 3-D! I am not surprised it's made $1 billion already.

Christmas Eve with the Thomas' - the only one missing from this photo is Grandpa. Unfortunately, he was home sick with food poisoning. We sure missed him - it just wasn't the same without him there.

Silly version

Christmas morning at my parents house

We went to Dean and Susan's for Christmas lunch/dinner. My cousins treated us to an impromptu concert - very nice! It's amazing how much they've grown up since we moved away!

Oscar, Paul and Angie's dog, liked unwrapping presents too.

We got to meet Abby, Jim and Amy's daughter at lunch at Hale's. Jim and Ethan worked together in Seattle and he and Amy have been through the transfer adventures as well.

The weather surprised us - it was sunny and cold most of the time. The Olympics showed themselves on a bright and clear day!

With my parents

with Ben and Cara - it was so nice to see them a couple times this visit!

Another great trip to Seattle in the books!

The National Christmas Tree

2009-12-16T16:03:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, we ventured into the city and met up with our friends, Ben and Kelsey. We took a field trip to the National Christmas Tree at the Ellipse in front of the White House. It's a live blue spruce that was planted in 1978 and every year is decorated with lights, along with 56 smaller trees for the 50 states, one District and 5 U.S. territories. Can you name all 5 territories? I couldn't! The U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands was new to me!

The National Tree

Yule Log burning all day and night until New Year's Day

Each of the 56 trees are decorated with ornaments made by a school, artist, community group, etc from their state.

Ethan and the Virginia tree

I'm with the Washington tree (and the Washington Monument)

My camera is not so great with night photos but here's the White House. It is beautifully decorated, with more than a few Christmas trees in the windows. We could also see the snipers walking on the roof. How festive!

This is the last post until after Christmas. We fly out to Seattle this weekend for a week-long, much-needed visit. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to our family and friends!

Let it Snow

2009-12-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

Winter has arrived! We woke up to snowflakes falling this morning. It's been snowing all day and we now have at least 4 inches.

A Via Family Thanksgiving

2009-12-05T12:47:00.001-08:00

Ethan and I celebrated our first Thanksgiving in our new house with the Via's. Ethan's brother and his family, along with Ethan's parents traveled to Ashburn for the holiday. We had a fantastic meal - thanks to help from Marcia and Courtney, dinner turned out great! Along with lots of eating, we had fun playing outside, watching movies, cutting down our Christmas tree, visiting the Air and Space Museum and putting in some time on the Wii.

Here's a link to the Thanksgiving photo album:

Thanksgiving 2009

Turning 5!

2009-11-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

One of the many great things about living in Virginia is that we are able to attend family birthday parties. Our nephew just turned 5 and we went to Richmond to celebrate with friends and family at his bowling party.

Peyton and his Star Wars cake

Get your bowling shoes on!

Arcade time

Enjoying one of his presents - flag football!

Fall Fun

2009-11-05T12:42:00.001-08:00

Our Brooklyn buddies, Chad and Sarah, recently came to see our new place. We miss them terribly, so it was great to have them stay with us for a couple days. We packed in a lot of sightseeing in a short amount of time, including the Air and Space Museum and a trip to a pumpkin farm - have a look:

The Dulles branch of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is about 15 minutes from our house. We heard there is a space shuttle there, so we had to check it out and see the Shuttle Enterprise. It just so happened that it was trick or treat day at the museum. We walked among little dinosaurs, chickens, superheroes and Star Wars characters.

It just so happened that it was trick or treat day at the museum. We walked among dinosaurs, chickens, princesses, superheroes and Star Wars characters.

The Enola Gay (from Hiroshima bombing)

Up in the observation tower, too rainy to see the air traffic from Dulles Airport.

A little fall color through the fog.

We took part in some Halloween festivities at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, VA. A fun night with approx. 1,500 jack-o-lanterns, marshmallow roasting, a rope maze,and a hay ride. You can't go wrong with a farm that's near Snickersville Turnpike (just love that name).

Jack-o-lanterns carved by local students.

Armed with sticks and ready to roast

Marshmallow roast

We made it through the tricky rope maze in pitch black darkness.

Chad and Sarah - Hay Ride!

Chilly ride

Leaf peeping walk on our neighborhood trails

Virginia has the most vibrant leaf colors!

Chad and Sarah ~ Thanks for coming to visit! We'll be back to see you in NYC soon!

#32

2009-10-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Ethan! We celebrated #32 last weekend with some birthday visitors. His dad, brother and family came for the weekend and despite the rain, we had a great time! Ethan said it was one of the best birthday's he's ever had. :) Thanks to everyone for coming to visit!

Make a wish!

Some help with the blowing part from the kids.

Alison liked (and licked) the frosting.

Cake and ice cream, anyone? We recommend trying Edy's/Dreyer's new limited edition called Hot Cocoa. Chocolate ice cream with marshmallows - so good!

The Wii was a big hit - it had been a year since we played any video games and we were glad to put it to good use. Now Ethan is hooked again and is playing Wii golf as I write this blog entry. Practicing for the Thanksgiving tournament...

The Wii audience - we saw some great strikes, home runs, birdies and knockouts!

On Sunday, it was a Roanoke reunion in our house. Ethan's childhood buddies Jim and Chris came over with their wives and kids. Jim and Emily live in Maryland and Chris and Megan live 10 minutes away from us, in Sterling. We are looking forward to seeing them all more frequently, now that we are neighbors!

It's Cookout Time!

2009-10-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ethan's life is complete again - he has a grill! He is now the proud owner of a Weber Spirit. Let the cookouts begin!

Parents Visit

2009-10-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

My parents were in town last week and we saw some cool things in Virginia. It was the first time I've done any real sightseeing since we moved here, so it was nice to get out and explore our new state. One of the perks of being unemployed is that I don't have to use any vacation days so I was able to spend more time with my parents. We went to George Mason's house (Gunston Hall), Great Falls Park (not to be confused with Great Falls, MT), DC, Gettysburg and worked on some home improvement projects.

Mom and I in front of Gunston Hall. George Mason IV lived in this plantation house on the Potomac River in the mid-1700's. Mason is known as the "father of the Bill of Rights", although James Madison usually gets all the credit.

Dad and I with the Potomac behind us.

Gunston Hall

Great Falls Park (on theVirginia side of the Potomac)

The U.S. Capitol Building

Charles Lindbergh's plane at the Air and Space Museum

Lincoln Memorial

FDR Memorial

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Gettysburg National Park in Pennslvania - you can drive through the battlefields. The Park Service did an amazing job with the visitor center, which has a film, cyclorama (360 degree oil painting depicting the Civil War battle) and an extensive museum.

Confederate soldiers

Union soldiers

Gettysburg National Cemetery, unknown soldiers

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

-A. Lincoln

Monument marking the site of the Gettysburg address.

I like these fences.

View from Little Round Top

I put my parents to work during their visit. :) They are full of handy tips about how to fix things (like one of our toilets) and how to take care of our yard. Our front garden had a raised bed, which was filled with 4 layers of white "decorative" rock and mulch/bark. This needed to be removed, along with 5 overgrown bushes and 2 sickly crepe myrtles. We worked for two days and now the front yard looks great! Thanks for all your hard work, Mom and Dad!

Before

After

We had a wonderful visit with my parents and we can't wait for Christmas in Seattle! We've been away too long!

Soon, I promise.

2009-10-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be checking our blog and wondering where the new posts are. Sorry that the number of days beween posts seems to grow each month. Life has been busy since we moved and it's hard to find time to blog.

My parents were in town last week and we have lots of great photos to post. I will get to it once my 3 day "working interview" is complete at the pediatric dental office. Hopefully I will also have good news to share about the potential job.

Our First Houseguests

2009-09-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

Kathleen and her boyfriend, Josh, were in town last weekend. Josh is from Leesburg and his sister's wedding was last weekend. Leesburg is about 10 minutes from our house. Small world, huh? They stayed at our house for a couple nights - a quick trip but it was nice to meet Josh and see K.

Our next visitors - my parents arrive next week! We are looking forward to exploring the area with them - Gettysburg, Appalachian Trail, Harper's Ferry, DC - lots to see and do!

Summer Vacation

2009-09-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day week in Nags Head, NC with Ethan's family. A beach house vacation - very relaxing. After the busy summer we had with purchasing a house and moving, this break was much needed. We spent the week with Basha, Gramps, Matt, Courtney and our niece and nephew.

We had some interesting weather during our stay - Mother Nature did not cooperate and only gave us one and a half sunny days. The rest of the week was rainy and windy - must have been some remnants of hurricanes passing somewhere offshore. But we made the most of it and enjoyed some indoor activities - trip to the aquarium and outlet mall, reading books and playing card games. It sure beats working! Here are some photos from our week in the Outer Banks:

The beach in front of our house

Sunset on our first night

Nope, that's not the sun - it's the moon rising! Such a cool sight, but the camera didn't capture it well.

Digging with Uncle Ethan

Aunt Elin with A

P hamming it up with his daddy

Impromptu dance party in the gazebo after dinner

Checking out the water with Gramps

Sunny beach day!

Jockey's Ridge State Park - sand dunes!

Basha/Marcia and Ethan up top

Ethan and his mom

View of the Atlantic

Pool time! Too windy for the beach - red flags are up.

Red flags don't stop the para-surfers.

Wright Brother's Memorial - Their first successful flight took place here at Kitty Hawk in 1903! Those markers show where the plane landed after each try. The farthest one in the photo marks the successful flight- 852 feet!

Memorial on the hill

Empty beach - one of the perks of taking vacation after the first day of school.

New House + No Internet = No Blog

2009-08-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry family and friends, we are slacking on the posts here. But all for a good reason, we checked out of the hotel last Thursday and moved into our first home! Verizon comes on Tuesday to get us connected to the outside world again and I will be able to load photos and post details about our Virginia move. So far, so good - we are surrounded by piles of packing paper and empty boxes, but hopefully by the end of the week, the house will be in order and we'll be ready for visitors. :) We love our house and are so happy!

NatsTown

2009-08-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

Our new team - the Washington Nationals. We can't move to a new city without checking out the baseball team! We went to our first "Nats" game a couple weeks ago. The stadium is new and we had no trouble getting tickets. (It probably helps that they are in last place...). First baseline seats, watch out for foul balls!

No hydro races or hat trick in DC! The Nationals have the Presidents Race instead - Teddy, Abe, George and Tom. :) Apparently, Teddy never wins.

The Nats win a very exciting game and their sixth straight! Lots of scoring and even witnessed a very heated ump vs Diamondbacks manager yell-fest. The manager was ejected but came out of the dugout for one last yell.

Friday night fireworks after the game to the tunes of Sir Elton John. We went to the game with a British guy Ethan's worked with this summer. He and his coworkers got a kick out of the fireworks and Elton.

Goodbye NYC and Hello Virginia!

2009-08-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

It's now official - Ethan and I are residents of Virginia (and also residents of the Marriott Residence Inn until our house closes). Ethan is back in his home state and we are living in Northern Virginia (or NOVA, as the locals call it). We are looking forward to future get- together's with Ethan's family - we can now go to birthday parties for the little ones and go on impromptu visits to Roanoke and Richmond!

This blog is a journal of our life in Virginia, from adventures in first time home ownership to sightseeing in Washington, DC to camping trips in Shenandoah National Park. Fun times are ahead!