New Year's and Thank You to Santa Claus

We attended a children's program at Ellwood Manor this morning in Locust Grove, VA. Ellwood was built in 1790 and served as a Confederate Hospital during the War Between the States and served as Union headquarter's in 1864. Stonewall Jackson's amputated arm is buried on the site.

The kids got to make paper chains, cut paper dolls, practice writing with a quill pen and make an orange/clove ornament. They also got to see Santa before he retreated to the North Pole and thank him for the gifts he left at our house on Christmas night.

We finished our gingerbread house on New Year's Eve and I'll post pictures soon. We will be celebrating Russian Christmas next weekend. This year we are combining it with Grandfather's 75th birthday!

Christmas Pics

Merry Christmas 2009!

Spreading reindeer food before sunset Christmas Eve in our back yard...

more reindeer food...

...a tad bit more just to be sure!

Move over Julia Child!

Hand knit blankets and new pjs... Twas the night before Christmas! Tracking Santa's sleigh online... A pink Hello Kitty! "I've been a good girl and Santa brought me the most perfect gift." Pops and Adelaide visit bearing wonderful gifts. Bubby and grandfather brought a new raincoat for Margaret, Converse for AP and lots of new baby dolls clothes for Abigail and her many dollies.

Abby and Patrick and the spirit of Christmas!

The girls the day after Christmas...looking a bit tired from all the festivities!

After baking and playing in the snow all week, the ice melted enough and we were able to pay a visit to Mrs. Bower, my library assistant, who knitted each one of the children their own blankets.

On the 24th, after spreading Reindeer food in our yard, we attended Christmas eve service at a new church since ours was canceled due to too much snow in the parking lot.

Pops came after and we had homemade Hawaiian pizza w/ wheat crust that the kids and I made.

Christmas morning Abby got sick at the breakfast table... but was instantly better after I changed her and cleaned up.

Unfortunately, Pop's German Shepard pup Adelaide would not use the bathroom no matter how many times he walked her out in the freezing rain and he finally got so frustrated by it, he went home after some homemade pea soup and some Irish brown bread we made w/ the bread machine.

Hits for the day included a pocket knife, rock tumbler and wood burning kit for AP... fancy high heels and a pottery wheel for Margaret, and a pink Hello Kitty, a Playdough burger maker and Strawberry Shortcake Berry Cafe for Abby.

The next afternoon, Bubby and Grandfather came and we played "Hyper Dash" which was a blast for the whole family. We opened more presents and ate some yummy wraps from Wegman's and spaghetti pie.

Tonight we are opening presents from Dadu and Nana. It's been a nice Christmas. This week's project is to finish our gingerbread house!

Christmas concert, reading to the dogs, Christmas shopping, visits from grandparents, etc.

AP's Christmas concert was very nice (the mic was right in front of him and he could be heard over all the other children!)...

Visiting Santa at Gumdrop Square...

Lunch with Bubby at Chiusano Italian Table and Christmas shopping while the kids read to the dogs w/ Patrick at the library. Believe it or not, this was the FIRST time I have been out w/ my mom and NO CHILDREN since Abby was born!! Actually (and this is a bit embarassing to admit- it was the first time I've been out at all..except for work or the gym... without kids since Abby was born!) It was a great Christmas treat and we enjoyed shopping and eating incredibly yummy food!

Pops visited w/ Adelaide this month and last week, Dadu and Nonna came to watch the big kids for us while we took Abby overnight for another MRI in Charlottesville. We haven't heard anything yet, but expect to early this week.

Please keep Abigail in your prayers- specifically that she has no more fluid trapped in her spine and that there is enough space for it to flow smoothly around her brain. That is our Christmas wish...

Snowed in w/ three feet of snow!

About four hours of shoveling today!

View from our bedroom window...

The two outdoor kitties left a bunch of "presents" on the porch for us during the snow storm...

View from the window of our bathroom. Abby won't go near it b/c of the "crocodile teeth."

Got my work out today by pulling Abby in knee deep snow up and down the hill and helping Patrick and AP shovel the cars out.

After many threats, the kids finally succumbed to playing together... building two forts and having a snowball fight.

First Snow of the Season

Visited Gum Drop Square last night in Old Town Warrenton with the girls. Got to see the Nutcracker outside in the town square and even dressed up like angels for a live nativity scene. The girls had a blast and were totally convinced that Santa's sleigh flew overhead while we were strolling Main Street in the dark...

Snowed all day. The kids played outside...what a lot of work that is...suiting them up and drying clothes afterwards...

Bubby took the big kids for the rest of the day and I wrapped for many hours straight. Abby managed to break a drain plug in one of the bathroom sinks and we spent the rest of our anniversary evening telling each other to stop losing our cool while we attempted and failed to fix the darn thing... Can't believe it's been 12 years! Wish were headed to a b&b in Williamsburg tomorrow like we were way back then!

Thanksgiving and Bubby's Birthday

Celebrated TG at Bubby and Grandfather's house in Fredericksburg yesterday. I was thankful to get my workout in and not need to cook a thing! We brought Knakel's cake(with strawberry filling!) and some homemade presents for Bubby's birthday. Margaret made her a bookmark, Abby decorated a cup for her and AP sewed her a pillow. I gave her my copy of Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls (an author who actuallyl ives in Culpeper)... The kids took a bath in the fancy tub and we headed home. Today we had a great day taking down the fall decorations and setting up our Christmas tree. I actually dragged the kids out to Walmart for the Black Friday early bird specials and Patrick didn't even know we were gone!!

Christmas Open House

The Culpeper Open House was Sunday afternoon- a beautiful day. After the big kids left for Harrisonburg, we took Abby to story time at the Depot to hear Christmas tales for toddlers and then walked around Davis Street. All of the decorations are out and the high school band was playing on the veranda at Hazel River Inn. Many churches and stores had crafts for kids and Christmas cookies. Abby was very brave riding the Trolley through town!

Sharing Orange Blossoms and lemon pound cake at Tea, Lace and Roses.

Outside Hazel River Inn...where Bono ate before his Charlottesville concert in Oct!

Meeting the authentic Santa at Pepperberries on main Street. Abby was VERY brave and asked him for a "pink Hello Kitty." She and Santa had the same color eyes and he showed her his red and white striped socks!

Brushing the miniature horses outside the depot.