Happy Twenty Fo!

New Year. Same Us. We couldn’t be happier so why change? Maybe the only break from tradition was NOT showing a re-run of the NYC Ball Drop at 10pm in an attempt to fool the kids into thinking they made it to midnight… This year, we all made it to 12:01.Well done crew.Ramen for all…

Merrrrrry Minnesota!

An impulse airline ticket buy in September (they were a good deal I promise!) led us back to Minnesota for Christmas with big smiles on our faces. A few years ago, Meredith suggested an ugly Christmas sweater themed holiday gathering (since we are taking a break from parties at the house) and it was a…

Turkey Time

We were lucky enough to host Thanksgiving in Alexandria this year. With Carolyn’s crew back on the East Coast, Northern Virginia is once again a “good, sort of in-between and convenient to travel to” location for the holiday weekend. The Clays road tripped from Rhode Island, the Wiktors flew from St. Paul and one Mumsie…

Peak Season

Come late October temps are finally below 80, the humidity is gone and the leaves are changing. It’s the best time of year the DMV if you ask me! I couldn’t have timed our family photos better this year – perfect weather, fall foliage, and my three favorite people. We were able to link up…

Sticks!

Otherwise known as Will turns 11. Will keeps getting older and I’m still in dismay that my baby is far from that! He may be getting older but he’s still full of curiosity and a side of mischief. Will started his 10th year with a baseball cake and that theme certainly carried him through the…

Good old fashioned summer fun!

A trip to Minnesota in the summer is such a treat! It’s a rare occasion when we get to go and just visit – no holiday, specific event, or agenda. Well, maybe there’s still an agenda because I like a plan but the agenda items are relaxation and family time. Our summer trip was three…

Summer Stadium Tour 2.0

If you kept up with our trip across country last summer, you know Will and I visited three different stadiums during our excellent adventure. Having crossed Nationals Park off the list last summer after arriving in the DMV, Will had his hopes set on some other parks this summer. While his list was a bit…

Bikes, BBQ, Ballet, and SUMMER!

It’s June in Washington, DC which means school is winding down and summer is starting up. That means (more) baseball games, (more) bicycle adventures, and plenty of time on the porch with the grill fired up. Between Will and my MTB adventures at Fountain Head and Wakefield we are in the triple digit territory on…

Moments from May

After a year of a somewhat normal schedule for Phil, May brought a full month of travel. While Dad was away, we were fortunate to have grandma with us for a few weeks – what a treat! The weekdays were filled with work and school, but grandma got to see lots of Will’s baseball games…

12 Years of Twinkle Toes

Perhaps it was all the changes and challenges, some anticipated and some not, but it certainly feels like Sophia did a lot of growing up this last year! She impressed us with her resilience, keeping her chin up and smiling through the challenges she was faced with. To say we are proud of this lady…