Hello 38!

On the day of my 38th birthday, we drove to Clifton and spent the afternoon in the adorable and historic little town. Everyone was preparing for the yearly "Clifton Haunted Trail" creating a festive fall atmosphere. We played at the town park which had a seesaw made for four, a perfect fit for our family. Kent and I took a few turns shooting hoops that neither of us made.  Then we hit the local ice-cream shop which I think instantly became my new favorite place. It is so darn cute! They had delicious pumpkin flavored ice-cream and a big chalkboard for the kids to write and draw on. In the back of the building, we discovered a perfect outdoor bar area. Kent and I had a birthday beer while the kids ate their cones and played with blocks (each table had games, ours had Jenga). It was such a sweet little place.

It was fun to walk through the small downtown area and read about the old buildings.

Back in our own neighborhood, I took what will probably be the last pictures of our leaves. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Frankenstorm, who will likely clear the trees of their remaining beauty.

I love these vibrant orange leaves. Next year, I will make planting a tree in our front yard a priority. Our front yard is pretty bare and lacks landscaping, so most of the pictures are of our neighbors. I do love our views.

Our backyard is beginning to reflect the changing season. There's Kent's studio on the left. He has the walls framed, power run, fabric and lighting fixtures picked out. He is excited to get his mini-split installed this week. Woot! Woot!

A little Sunday morning fun in the front yard.

Here is a little snippet from a walk through the woods last weekend.

We got our fireplace screen, and I rearranged the mantle a bit. There is still no paint, and this weekend, I am leaning towards light blue. Maybe if we get a day off this week due to "Sandy," I'll be able to get the painting started.

Have a great week everyone! I am looking forward to the unknown. We have our flashlights and bottled water ready . . . 38 is off to an exciting start . . . I think.

Around the House, Inside and Out

 It has been a perfect fall this year with great weather and beautiful scenery. I think we are now in the "peak" of the season. I absolutely love the mature trees in our neighborhood, as well as just about every other single thing about it.

Here is Maddie trying to squeeze in her 60 minutes of viola practice. Her schedule is full with three hours of jumprope, an hour of gymnastics, and an hour of swimming. She is a busy girl who would love to do more.

I re-did the framed pics in Maddie's room by painting and hot glueing some words on each one. I replaced the insect prints with some favorite black and white photos. We also found the wall hanging above her bed for three dollars at a yardsale. You know I love a bargain. Kent gave her one of his music stands.

Our basement has been slowly coming together.  We purchased the sectional new, and I replaced the throw pillows. Dad and Mel gave me the personalized Cali one as an early birthday present. I love it. The media cabinet and coffee table came from craigslist. We just ordered fireplace accessories, and I am contemplating wall colors. I am thinking a straw color would look nice, or perhaps a light blue . . . what do you think? I am open to suggestions.

Sophie Turns Six, Again.

We had another celebration for Sophie"s sixth with our NoVa cousins this weekend. Sophie designed her own chocolate cake and yellow cake cupcakes.

Just like last year, she wanted everyone to wear their Halloween costumes. Sophie and Madeline are going to be Dorothy twins this year.

 Arts and crafts with the Super Girl Twins.

 Trampoline fun . . . And the rest of the pictures are awesome and were taken by my talented sister-in-law. The last one is my favorite.

New Jersey and Birthday Fun

Over our three day weekend, my mom and I took the girls on a road trip to New Jersey to celebrate two special birthdays. Lilly turned three and Sophie turned 6! Lilly had an awesome purple hippo cake (her favorite animal and color), and the highlight for Sophie was opening her presents. She loved everything, and she was especially surprised to open Mel's Skipper doll. It has always been her favorite toy when visiting South Dakota. Skipper is 40+ years old and comes with lots of clothes and accessories, many that are handmade. Sophie has hardly let it out of her sight over the last two days!

Does it look like someone is having fun?

Another picture of the birthday girl.

New Jersey is about 3 weeks ahead of Northern Virginia weather-wise. The rolling mountains adorned in shades or orange, yellow, and red were gorgeous! The leaves were so fun!

We went to a great farm for some fall festivities. It was cold up there! Madeline is still a California girl and not a fan of the cold weather as you can see here. I think the temperature was 52 and a bit rainy.

She warmed up to some rides with her cousins, though.

This ride was a little more Sophie's speed.

We took a hayride to the fields and picked pumpkins! It was muddy, and most of the options were huge, but we managed to find a couple we could carry.

 We had a great trip! The ride took 5.5 hours each way, and I am pleased to report we made all eleven hours without a single electronic for entertainment: no movies or video games. We enjoyed the company of each other and the beautiful scenery!

Around the House . . .

Both girls are going to be Dorothy for Halloween this year. Yes, Maddie has been her before. I think it was the stuffed dog in a basket part of the costume that won them both over.  This video is kind of fitting: Madeline on her bike, Sophie with her "Toto," and the wind: all very Wizard of Oz-ish.

Kent dug a trench and ran cable from the house to the future studio. He spends most evenings and weekends prepping his future studio.

It's October!

Have I mentioned that I love fall? Well, I do, and October is my favorite month! I love the changing leaves, the cool mornings and evenings, pumpkin coffee (a new favorite treat), and everything and anything that has to do with this season! Over the weekend, we put up some decorations and pulled out our warmer clothes.  

We enjoyed our yard and a walk to the neighborhood park.

We shopped for some yard decor. I wanted a scarecrow that could stay up from September through November, but Sophie wanted this ghost, and she won this time.

I picked these roses from our yard. How long into the fall/winter do roses bloom? I guess I'll find out.

Sophie loves kindergarten. She is having a wonderful time! She wrote this message about her day one afternoon while playing in my classroom last week. I was very impressed!