Happy Festivus!

Our white Christmas has become a flood. Literally. We had 20" last Saturday. Today, we have 50 degrees and pouring rain and a couple of random piles of snow on the corners.

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? I've become fairly irritated this year by the overwhelming need for some politicians to go out of there way to defend the need to say "Merry Christmas" as if we've just gone too far with being politically correct. God forbid, we actually include all Americans in a loving greeting during this season!

I like the New Year Holiday--in fact, it maybe one of my favorites. It's the quiet gathering holiday that brings people together to appreciate good beer, wine, and great finger foods without all the materialism that goes with Christmas. It's like a Thanksgiving reprise without the bland potatoes and turkey--an opportunity to make spicy appetizers to go with a nice stout ale!

While I say "Happy Holidays" I still appreciate more than any other holiday Frank Costanza's creation, fighting the materialistic craziness Americans get sucked into every year. With that, check out the loot Phoebe came away with this year! Happy Festivus!



This is a bus from Holland that goes back to Alisa's childhood. Thank you Oma and Grandpa!



Phoebe got a percussion set from Mat, Laura, and her cousins Ava and Jack. She likes the bells a lot, but will hopefully gain coordination and be able to play the drum and other instruments soon.

Some great stacking disks from both sets of Grandparents

Phoebe has discovered fridge magnets so we got her the alphabet. It is intended for children 3 and up due to choking hazard. Uh, I don't know if I could get that Z down if I tried!

Santa brought a sticky "Gertie" ball for Phoebe.
Christmas Eve: we were able to pick mom up from work and make it to the children's Mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace last night. Phoebe did very well, even though it went well past her bedtime.

Alisa had to work today and this weekend, but was able to go in to work a bit later this morning so we could have breakfast and open gifts as a family. Phoebe and I are going to deliever some treats to mom over lunch.

SNOW!

We got 20.5" in Arlington in about 26hrs. Having lived in Maine, NoDak, and Minnesota, we both felt that this would have been a crippling snowfall anywhere. The problem here is that the city only has plows about as nice as those the Twin Cities probably used in the 80s. Plus, they only have a few. Alisa only has to walk a few blocks to work tomorrow and Phoebe and I have no where we need to be, so no worries for us!

You know that guy you see in New York City shoveling his car out with a Big Gulp cup from 7-Eleven on the news? Well, I was that guy. But I was smart enough to use the small garbage bin from our apt. We didn't think we'd need shovels and boots here. Oh well. It'll only be for a day or two.

We've been enjoying cooking split pea soup with ham from Ben and Leslie's pigs and tonight we plan to cook up one of their chickens. Thanks for the cold weather food! It's supposed to be in the 30s all week and then the 40s with rain on Christmas, so we should have a nice flood and no snow by the end of this week.

Phoebe enjoyed swinging with her feet grazing the snow.

The slide was a little slower today with a wet bum.

It was a sunny day today!

Cold, cold, cold weather in Minot!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Again . . . Phoebe got another birthday cake (this one got tasted) at Grandma and Grandpa's in Minot.

We miss you mom-mom and can't wait to see you Thursday night when we get back to Arlington!

ANIMALS, ANIMALS, and more ANIMALS

Grandpa has plenty of furs he's traded over the years, so we clearly did not need to bring any stuffed animals with on this trip. Phoebe enjoyed the fox fur and petting the antelope, but was a bit bothered by the beaver pelts. After seeing pheasants, deer, dogs, and plenty of birds on this visit, a trip to the National Zoo is in store when we get back to D.C.

I guess our daughter wants a fur coat for Christmas. This fox fur became a favorite of hers on these cold winter days (it has not been above zero degrees since Saturday). Someone may use this picture against her some day when she becomes a vegan/anti-fur activist.

Phoebe enjoyed opening and shutting the large hardwood doors in the house.

Every afternoon a doe and her two fawns came to feed on the sunflowers my dad leaves out for the birds. Pheasants came by from time to time as well. Phoebe thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife from the kitchen breakfast counter.

Deer!

The fur is not as soft (as the fox) on grandpa's antelope, but every time we passed by this mount (which was about 20 times per day as it's at the bottom of the stairs) she giggled and had to touch it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Well, one year ago, we were sleep deprived and falling in love with our newborn little girl. Today, she's on the go. Literally. Phoebe decided to crawl about 8 hours shy of her birth hour. Today, I can't keep up with her. The video below is from today. She crawled for the first time last night. I took her diaper off, she flopped over and bolted across the room. I didn't quite know what was happening it was so sudden. Every parent has warned us that these things don't happen gradually, but rather suddenly. But I didn't quite believe it would be like a switch being flipped. So maybe a video of her walking later today?

A book of dogs will hopefully be a hit on a flight to North Dakota next week. Mom picked this one out for Phoebe.

A little help from an older cousin who understands the concept of unwrapping gifts.

A favorite Mem Fox book from her cousins, Aunt Leslie, and Uncle Ben.

A knit sweater from Oma.

Great Falls National Park

GREAT FALLS NATIONAL PARK

Great Falls is just a few miles north of Arlington on the Potomac. I biked out there on the C&O Canal towpath back in July. It's a beautiful park with a nice boardwalk to view the rapids and watch the kayakers run through. The C&O Canal runs from DC up through Virginia and I believe on to West Virginia and into Pennsylvania. Apparently, it's bikable with towns to stay in along the way.

A dog!

Another dog!

And another dog!

Maybe she could model for the vegan's alternative to Santa's Rudolph? I'll contact PETA.

Crawling and Sitting Up

She has been pushing up with her arms for weeks know, but yesterday morning, Phoebe figured out how to dig her knees in and push herself up into sitting position. Her ability to crawl is coordinated, but she only knows reverse. Yesterday she backed all the way up and got herself wedged under our rocking chair. We both wonder how many calories this kid is burning now!

Beautiful Weather

TURKEY RUN NATIONAL PARK

After the rain of Hurricane Ida moving through (a 3 day soaker) we had a 75 degree sunny day Sunday. The three of us celebrated Alisa's weekend off by going for a short hike before sundown. Turkey Run is adjacent to the CIA headquarters just beyond Arlington and it overlooks the Potomac, which is the river in the pictures below. We hope to get back there and do more hiking along the river this winter before spring floods come through.

JEFFERSON MEMORIAL

Today is yet again a gorgeous day so Phoebe and I bussed-trained over to the Mall and walked around the Tidal Basin to spend some time at the Jefferson Memorial. If any of you ever consider DC as a vacation destination, October and November are the months to hit this place. We were 2 of about a dozen people there. This also was good since Phoebe decided to ignore the "Quiet Please: Be Respectful" signage and yell continuously at Jefferson himself. I guess she thinks he's pretty cool. Or maybe just the echo the dome made was cool.

Enjoying the view of the Tidal Basin and the Washington Monument

I will just say that I did not try to take a funny picture of the monument sticking out of my daughter's head. It just happened. Honest. I couldn't see it in the lighting while shooting pics.

Brushing Teeth