Julia and dad met the McKelvey's for a hike at Scott's Run. After Julia complained that she wanted to 'walk to the hike' she calmed down and had a great time. Here is a picture with Miss Ellie in front of the waterfall that was still mostly frozen.
Better view of the frozen waterfall.
The hike featured a stop for a snack - Ritz crackers and dehydrated apples. And of course ... rock throwing.
Both kids had ear infections. One parent caught a stomach virus. Second parent slipped on ice. After a trip to the doctor, both kids had the pleasure of torturing Mom when she tried to give them Amoxicillin. RJ had a very fierce cough which drew the stares and the ire of everyone when we took him in public.
RJ stuck on the couch watching cartoons while dad worked from home one day.
Granddad came over one day ... and decided to exit a bit earlier than usual - hopefully we do not add him to the list of victims.
2018 started with some super cold temperatures ... and very little precipitation ... perfect for ice skating.
On January 6, we went to check out the ice on the Canal near the Chain Bridge.
Conditions were ideal for skating and hockey, we passed the puck a bit. When we drove by again on Sunday, at least 300 people were skating.
On Sunday, thanks to our friends in Lake Barcroft, we got some less populated ice ... with lots more space to roam. And thanks to Craigslist, RJ got a pair of skates for $15. RJ fell a lot, but towards the end he got used to it. And as soon as he fell, he popped right back up. By the end of the day, he was completely drenched with sweat.
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After a quick turnaround and 4-day work week, we hit the road again. This time we headed to the beach to share a house with several other families and folks.
A game of touch the stick without getting your feet wet ... turned into ... you guessed it ... wet feet. We didn't spend too much time on the beach, since it was quite cold and very windy.
There was plenty to do inside - including playing with other kids, watching Boss Baby, going to an arcade, air hockey, finding the 6-ball, ping pong, foosball, and more.
Julia liked the quieter moments with Uncle Z and Vincent/Enzo
Christmas in 2017 was a multi-part affair. It started early in Washington DC with Granddad and Aunt Debbie. We ordered food, opened gifts, and watched the McLean parade. Both kids got hammocks from Aunt Debbie which we managed to hang.
Santa was in the parade, but this picture is from when he drove by our house handing out candy canes.
RJ and Julia were super excited to get on an airplane and see their cousins. Dad was super stressed about how much luggage we were taking with us and the cost of tickets. We flew into Chicago and rented a 'car' to drive the rest of the way. The car turned out to be a F150. The luggage had to ride in the cold, but the 4-wheel drive came in handy for the 1-2 inches of snow.
We stayed at a 'downtown' hotel which featured a real train that drove past and blared it's horn 3-4 times a night. The hotel had a workout room and a pool. Julia maximized her time in the workout room. Here she is doing a 1.5 mile walk/jog at 2-3 mph. Yes ... do the math ... Dad had to stand there for 40 minutes and monitor the machine.
While at the cousins, we had fun playing in the basement, running crazy with cousins, playing hockey in the front year (except for a puck/tennis ball to the face), and a few random things such as having a squirrel funeral.
Church on Christmas Eve was super cold and packed. But, we had seats thanks to Aunt Trina.
Santa came while we were in Iowa, so as soon as we returned home to got to open more gifts. Julia was very excited about Gigi (dog with sequin dog house) as well as Abby/Gabby (bitty baby like Katelyn's). RJ liked his junk box of legos and his Nerf dart gun.
RJ's class organized a day of skating at a local ice rink in Reston. RJ got his first experience on single blade skates.
At first, RJ had fun, but spent a lot of time on the ice.
But as the session went on, he got quite good at going forward and make it around the rink a few times without falling.
His classmate Emmit was there ... trying to keep up with a hockey player was super fun.
Folks came over to eat cookies, drink cider, and look at trains. This year the trains featured HO only. Thanks to eBay, we have new engines that can pull a lot of cars and work more reliably. Five trains running at once was the highlight.
Julia delivers freight before the party.
New engines, longer trains, more reliability.
Granddad visited for the party
Downtown included a traffic jam (not pictured) thanks to the kids.
A wider angle view of the layout
