Christmas 2009

So after the episode at the airport, the snow that almost snowed us in and a few disturbed nights sleep in PA, we were destined to spend Christmas in our very own home and it was the best ever!

Christmas morning and we don't look to impressed!

Gracie loved sorting through the presents but didn't quite grasp the opening and enjoyment of what was inside.

Before and after dinner!

SNOW SNOW SNOW

We were hit with 26" of snow last Friday evening! A record snow fall for the whole month of December in Washington DC. With all the snow, we had to reschedule our plans to PA and we didn't get to leave for until the Sunday, i'm not sure we should of even left then, the roads were terrible! Here are some pictures of our neighbourhood.

The journey up to Warren PA was snow all the way. Once we arrived there was less snow than what we had in Fredericksburg but Gracie still enjoyed the fun of the sled being pulled around by her cousin Carter. The Gracie fell out of the sled and went head first in the snow, needless to say, we ended up back in the house!

Christmas in the US

I am so sad that we didn't make our trip back to England for Christmas. I don't know what caused the temper tantrums at the airport but there was no way I was going to put Grace on the plane while she was in such a state. The good news is that our tickets are held for a year from the date we booked the flights, so that means we have until next October to try again. Hopefully we will all make it back!

Meanwhile we have been getting into the Christmas spirit here in the US. We did have some snow but it only lasted a couple of days but it did help with the theme of Christmas. Here are some pictures of our tree hunting. We first went to a tree farm to cut our own down but there weren't any big enough for Brian!

We ended up getting a 7ft tree from the nursery down the road and the decorating began!

The plan is to go to Brian's parents for Christmas where there is plenty of snow! Check back soon for some pictures!

Mornings at our house

So here is Grace getting in to the pantry and emptying a whole box of pasta, the kitty

gets in on all the action too! I've lost count the amount of times i've picked up pasta, cereal or whatever Grace gets her hands on.

And then Grace decided she wanted all of her cuddly toys from the shelf in the toy room, she was giggling so much and I just love mornings like this!

Day at the farm

On Wednesday we went to a farm where Grace could pick her own pumpkin, it was just the sweetest little set up. There were goats, a donkey, chickens and some pigs. Grace was poking her hands through the fence to pet the animals and also helped feed the donkey, she was beside her self with excitment!

The Fall

Ok, so I am learning that America loves autumn or should I say fall! And i'm loving getting in on all the action...

This past weekend we headed to the Virginia state fair, it was great! With farm animals and tractors, Grace had a blast. We ate far too much crap food, I experienced a funnel cake, basically just deep fried dough.



Grace loved looking at all the fair rides but was too samll to go on any, still, she just enjoyed dancing to the music!

Our trip to Baltimore

So, we finally ventured out of Fredericksburg and hit the city of Baltimore. The car journey went well even though we hit traffic on the way back. Grace was good though, better than I thought she would be. Our hotel was nice, we had a studio suite with seperate bedroom so Grace could sleep while Brian and I had a lovely romantic night with champagne. We got woken up at 7am with the fire alarm though but along with this and some other issues with the hotel, we managed to get our stay for free, hooray!

On Saturday, Grace enjoyed her first chinese at PF Changs, a fab chinese restaurant. She had chicken noodles, yummy! Check out her face!

On Sunday we headed to the aquarium, Grace loved it and her attention lasted about an hour, she had this cool back pack to sit in so she could see everything, poor Brian was feeling the strain though and a few kicks in the back, lol! Grace chose a penguin from the gift shop with funky hair that smells like blueberries, probably why she picked it!

On the way back we stopped to see our friend Ivette who was stationed with Brian in Northwood, it was good to see a familiar face, she is doing really well, although she is off for her 2nd tour in a year to Afgan, so I feel bad for her but looking forward to her coming back so we can hang out more as she is only an hour away, depending on traffic of course!

We had a fantastic weekend, it was just what we needed and Grace just loves the city, just like her mum!