Sunday Snapshot: The Santa Train

Right after Thanksgiving, Larry read about the VRE's Santa Train:  12 commuter trains leaving different stations at different times to give kids a 1 hour ride on a train with Santa.  Last year, the tickets sold out in 12 minutes on-line.  This year, in a real "teacher of the year" moment, Larry stopped teaching his class on a Monday morning at 8:58 to be ready when the tickets went on sale.  He snagged 3 tickets to the 8:30 AM Santa Train before tickets sold out to the whole event at 9:04!!

It was hard to tell if Larry or Abigail was more excited, but it was a very fun event.  I hope we can do it next year.  (Also, if any kid tells my precious daughter that there is no Santa before she turns 6, I will find and neuter that kid.  Seriously.)

The many faces of Abigail as she sees Santa coming down the aisle of the Santa Train!

Sunday Snapshot: The Santa Train

Right after Thanksgiving, Larry read about the VRE's Santa Train:  12 commuter trains leaving different stations at different times to give kids a 1 hour ride on a train with Santa.  Last year, the tickets sold out in 12 minutes on-line.  This year, in a real "teacher of the year" moment, Larry stopped teaching his class on a Monday morning at 8:58 to be ready when the tickets went on sale.  He snagged 3 tickets to the 8:30 AM Santa Train before tickets sold out to the whole event at 9:04!!

It was hard to tell if Larry or Abigail was more excited, but it was a very fun event.  I hope we can do it next year.  (Also, if any kid tells my precious daughter that there is no Santa before she turns 6, I will find and neuter that kid.  Seriously.)

The many faces of Abigail as she sees Santa coming down the aisle of the Santa Train!

Sunday Snapshot: Is this a good tree?

Abigail was being silly.  She picked out this tree for us to cut down at the
Christmas Tree farm to take home for our tree this year.  She finds herself to
be hilarious.  Larry and I can't disagree.  She cracks us up!!

Sunday Snapshot: Is this a good tree?

Abigail was being silly.  She picked out this tree for us to cut down at the
Christmas Tree farm to take home for our tree this year.  She finds herself to
be hilarious.  Larry and I can't disagree.  She cracks us up!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Abigail is thankful for her Grandma Judy.  They have
a constant 24/7 love-fest whenever they are together.

Abigail is thankful for her Yinski, who loves
to play with her, take her outside, call her
"My Little Buddy" and she is thankful
that his "boo boo" is getting better.

Abigail is thankful for parades.

Abigail is thankful that her grandparents
allow her to eat ketchup sandwiches on
the floor while watching TV.

Abigail is thankful for being at the "farm"
and for sleeping with balloons after an
exciting Thanksgiving day!

Happy Thanksgiving

Abigail is thankful for her Grandma Judy.  They have
a constant 24/7 love-fest whenever they are together.

Abigail is thankful for her Yinski, who loves
to play with her, take her outside, call her
"My Little Buddy" and she is thankful
that his "boo boo" is getting better.

Abigail is thankful for parades.

Abigail is thankful that her grandparents
allow her to eat ketchup sandwiches on
the floor while watching TV.

Abigail is thankful for being at the "farm"
and for sleeping with balloons after an
exciting Thanksgiving day!

Wordless Wednesday: Trick or Treat!

No, not "wordless" Wednesday.  I can't do it.  I just have to say that Abigail went trick-or-treating with 2.5 year old P.  At every door, the 4 parents prompted the kids "What do you say?" to try to get either Abigail or P to say "Trick or Treat."  But 364 days per year, that four-word prompt has trained our kiddos to reply "Thank you!"  Love it!

Wordless Wednesday: Trick or Treat!

No, not "wordless" Wednesday.  I can't do it.  I just have to say that Abigail went trick-or-treating with 2.5 year old P.  At every door, the 4 parents prompted the kids "What do you say?" to try to get either Abigail or P to say "Trick or Treat."  But 364 days per year, that four-word prompt has trained our kiddos to reply "Thank you!"  Love it!

Happy 3rd Birthday

Last year, on Abigail's birthday, Northern Virginia had an unseasonal snow and ice storm.  It was a Saturday and we were going to take her to a town Halloween parade for her walk in and get candy from the main street shops.  Today we are waiting out the far reaches of Hurricane Sandy's arms, hoping we get to keep our power on.  Abigail is happy to get to wear her footsie pajamas all day; this is something she has always wanted to do.  

This weekend her aunts and uncles and my parents showered her with attention (and a few presents).  She received a Spiderman action figure, a wooden tool box set, a Spiderman Hippity Hop, and many books.  Watching her play with her new Spiderman action figure, my brother commented that this is how you raise a little girl to be nerdy and good at math.  Lar and I, of course, don't mind, since we are both math teachers!  And we would rather she play with these sorts of things she received than get "how to be a princess" kits.  We don't push her in either direction, but we love that she is who she is and that is NOT a princess!


Today she has been eye-balling the 3 wrapped gifts on my desk that she knows are for her, asking for each one after she felt enough time had passed.  We gave her a wooden train set that she played with for a large part of the morning, placing her horses on the track and creating table-top excitement.  After she gets up from nap, she'll open her Spiderman pajamas/Halloween costume; I am curious if the footsie pajamas will actually last all day!

Happy 3rd Birthday

Last year, on Abigail's birthday, Northern Virginia had an unseasonal snow and ice storm.  It was a Saturday and we were going to take her to a town Halloween parade for her walk in and get candy from the main street shops.  Today we are waiting out the far reaches of Hurricane Sandy's arms, hoping we get to keep our power on.  Abigail is happy to get to wear her footsie pajamas all day; this is something she has always wanted to do.  

This weekend her aunts and uncles and my parents showered her with attention (and a few presents).  She received a Spiderman action figure, a wooden tool box set, a Spiderman Hippity Hop, and many books.  Watching her play with her new Spiderman action figure, my brother commented that this is how you raise a little girl to be nerdy and good at math.  Lar and I, of course, don't mind, since we are both math teachers!  And we would rather she play with these sorts of things she received than get "how to be a princess" kits.  We don't push her in either direction, but we love that she is who she is and that is NOT a princess!


Today she has been eye-balling the 3 wrapped gifts on my desk that she knows are for her, asking for each one after she felt enough time had passed.  We gave her a wooden train set that she played with for a large part of the morning, placing her horses on the track and creating table-top excitement.  After she gets up from nap, she'll open her Spiderman pajamas/Halloween costume; I am curious if the footsie pajamas will actually last all day!

Pumpkin Patch and Animal Farm- Sunday Snapshots

Abigail was far more excited about petting and feeding the animals than she was about the pumpkins, but she did enjoy picking out a small one to take home.  

Her favorite part of the day, she said, was seeing Spiderman.  (On the "haunted" hayride, there were large displays of various monsters as well as super heros and comic book characters.  Spidey happened to be one of the last displays hanging from a tree.)

She also got a pony ride, if you can call it that, because it was only ONE time around a tiny circle and took about 40 seconds (for $3.50- meaning that horse could be making $315/hour!).  

This donkey was not actually eating her hand.

Pumpkin Patch and Animal Farm- Sunday Snapshots

Abigail was far more excited about petting and feeding the animals than she was about the pumpkins, but she did enjoy picking out a small one to take home.  

Her favorite part of the day, she said, was seeing Spiderman.  (On the "haunted" hayride, there were large displays of various monsters as well as super heros and comic book characters.  Spidey happened to be one of the last displays hanging from a tree.)

She also got a pony ride, if you can call it that, because it was only ONE time around a tiny circle and took about 40 seconds (for $3.50- meaning that horse could be making $315/hour!).  

This donkey was not actually eating her hand.

Christmas Gift?

Hi Readers, Friends, Family
Please consider buying a calendar from Henan Kids International.
It is a nonprofit organization, mostly of parents and family of kids adopted from Henan Province.
Abigail is from Henan.
Every fall there is a calendar fundraiser that raises a few thousand bucks and sends it to an orphanage in Henan for big projects like cribs, heaters, washing machines or something to make the lives of the waiting kids better.
What is really cool is that you will have a calendar full of pics of adopted kids smiling at you all year long!

Here is the link:  http://henankids.blogspot.com/
You can buy on the right side of that webpage.

Thanks for buying!

Christmas Gift?

Hi Readers, Friends, Family
Please consider buying a calendar from Henan Kids International.
It is a nonprofit organization, mostly of parents and family of kids adopted from Henan Province.
Abigail is from Henan.
Every fall there is a calendar fundraiser that raises a few thousand bucks and sends it to an orphanage in Henan for big projects like cribs, heaters, washing machines or something to make the lives of the waiting kids better.
What is really cool is that you will have a calendar full of pics of adopted kids smiling at you all year long!

Here is the link:  http://henankids.blogspot.com/
You can buy on the right side of that webpage.

Thanks for buying!

Wordless Wednesday- Reflections of a Great Weekend

Tree Climbing All By Herself

Fall Cookout with Yinski

Getting ready to roast a Marshmellow

Stealing M&Ms from Grandma while making Brownies

Wordless Wednesday- Reflections of a Great Weekend

Tree Climbing All By Herself

Fall Cookout with Yinski

Getting ready to roast a Marshmellow

Stealing M&Ms from Grandma while making Brownies

Wordless Wednesday- A Big Girl in Her Queen Bed

Almost-3-year-old in her brand new Queen sized bed!!

Wordless Wednesday- A Big Girl in Her Queen Bed

Almost-3-year-old in her brand new Queen sized bed!!

Sunday Snapshot: My Kiddo LOVES Horses

After her pony ride, the man tried to get her off and she said "I am not done yet."  So he gave
her another trip around the loop.  She said "thank you."

Fearless around animals, she put this goat into a headlock to try to get him to eat from her hand
and she reached through all of the bars to pet the horses in the pens too.

Abigail just loved the horses, even after her pony ride time was over she just wanted
to be with them.

Sunday Snapshot: My Kiddo LOVES Horses

After her pony ride, the man tried to get her off and she said "I am not done yet."  So he gave
her another trip around the loop.  She said "thank you."

Fearless around animals, she put this goat into a headlock to try to get him to eat from her hand
and she reached through all of the bars to pet the horses in the pens too.

Abigail just loved the horses, even after her pony ride time was over she just wanted
to be with them.