Visiting Janice and Darren 2016

So on the aforementioned whirlwind trip to DC, we stayed with Janice and Darren. We watched the opening of the Olympics with them, played with the kids and Fudgie, and had dinner together every night. She also spoiled the kids as always with tons of yummy healthy snacks and entertainment (see below). We did fail to visit their new local splash park, but I now we have a fun reason to return next summer. Though I might be doing a solo trip back soon.

Janice and Darren (at Megan's on Sunday)

Chilling in the family room

Chalk drawing with the kids

I think this is alien code?

Making scratch marks near Janice's Snoopy

Bubbles too!

Playing with Fudgie in the yard.

Janice, Darren, Fudgie Visit 2016

Janice, Darren, and Fudgie came to visit us! Janice, Darren, and I walked around Port Jefferson for a while, while Kevin and the kids took Fudgie for a walk. Then

Janice and Darren at Wave in Port Jefferson

Me and Janice

Kids "walking" Fudgie

Then we came back and hung out at the house and had my favorite go-to dinner: salsa chicken and rice- not spicy.

James, Kevin, Miranda, Janice, Darren

The stairs were barricaded to keep the kids and Fudgie on the deck

James telling Darren jokes

James LOVES "the real" Fudgie

Haha.

Besties.

Charlottesville, VA 2015

We make a pilgrimage to Charlottesville about every other year, because we love it there. This year, since Kevin was giving a reading there, we invited EVERYONE WE KNOW. A lot of people actually came, and we had lots of fun, and we have now started a new tradition: Clou-a-rama! So the plan is that every year we can pick a location and date and get together! Like when you get invited to an out-of-town wedding and you go, because it's important. Prioritizing our friends is important! By changing the location and time of year it is more (or less) convenient to different people so it doesn't run up against the exact same problem for the same people repeatedly.

Our first picture in front of the place we met as a family of 4!

We arrived on Wednesday and went to the Christian's Pizza on Route 29. I'd only ever been to the one on the Downtown Mall but the one on Route 29 was just as delicious.

Kevin letting Miranda chew all the straws at Christian's Pizza

After we settled in at the little house we rented, we went over to Kevin's  reading at Virginia Festival of the Book. Unfortunately, because the kids were being disruptive I had to leave while Kevin was reading.  I passed Walsh on the way out.

We couldn't fit the double-stroller with all our luggage so I let James sit in the stroller and I carried Miranda in the baby sling. I told James that we left because he and Miranda were being bad, and he said, "No, Miranda was being bad. I was being good. Don't be silly mama." I thought that was funny so I didn't argue the point.

I got snacks and drinks for the kids and we sat around for snacktime for a little while, and then I went over to the chalkboard because I remembered he loved it on our last visit. This is what he wrote:

"JAMES MAMA bad Miranda"

I was thinking I was a pretty awesome mom managing both of the cranky kids on my own when James started chalking some guys shoes. So then I took him for a huge chocolate chip cookie at Mudhouse for dinner. While we were chomping away, we discussed such philosophical questions as whether he thought he would exist if Mama hadn't met Dada at Mudhouse (he guessed no) and whether sharing a giant cookie was better than hogging it (he wasn't too sure). Luckily then Kevin met up with us, and we had dumplings and noodles from Lucca for dessert I guess.

Best. parenting. ever.

Thursday morning Kevin went hiking and picked up sandwiches at Bellair Market for us on the way back. It's all about the "Jeffersonian."

Sunrise from the Turk Gap trail.

We got a babysitter for the evening and met Brady for dinner at Continental. Brady suggested the tuna and yum! I also had margaritas which led... obviously... to lots of inappropriate conversation. After dinner I went back, and Kevin and Brady at Courts Square.

Brady and the tuna!

Romantic night out with Brady!

Friday! Kevin felt kind of violently ill, but he had to give a talk to the Classics Department and then he had lunch with some professors. I was supposed to meet up with Cathy but she got into town late so while Walsh and Brady went to the Paramount Theater to watch the UVA game, I made Kevin come with me and the kids to the Discovery Museum. Sorry, Kevin. Also, thank you!

Besties at the Discovery Museum

 

Air ball!

 

Genius baby.

 

Little tykes on the prairie

 

Wheeling and dealing

Oh yeah, then we had ice cream for dinner. James loves Charlottesville! Oh don't worry I fed them mac n' cheese for dessert so it's all good.

James's first clue that his mother is pretending to be an adult

Then at dinner he went back out for some sexy Virginia Book Festival literary event. Then he went straight to sleep. Luckily, Michele and Brandon came over our little house, and we opened the wine the owner left for us and we had more fun sexy times.

Picture actually from Saturday night but cute.

Saturday was the big day! Some of us went out for breakfast at Blue Grass Grill for Cory's birthday.

   

Birthday boy Cory, me, Miranda, and Robin

Brady and Kevin

For lunch we went to Citizen Burger Bar mostly because we heard they'd have the TVs on the basketball. All of Charlottesville was really crowded because of the book festival and a race that morning. We fit four adults and 6 kids into an 8-person booth, and 6 very uncomfortable adults into a 6-person booth (I failed to get a picture of them but they didn't look so happy anyway).

Miranda, me, James, Cathy, and Kennedy in the 8-person booth

Leo, Madison, Jack, Jen, and Rob in the 8-person booth

Then Cathy, Jenny and I took most of the kids for more ice cream. I'm pretty sure the kids enjoyed Clou-a-rama as much or more than the adults.

Cathy picked up a hitchhiker (Kennedy and James)

James, Madison, Jen, Leo, Cathy, and Kennedy at Sweet Frog 

Michele, Brandon, Kevin, and Miranda met us there.

Kevin and Miranda went back to the house for a nap, and I took James to Meade Park. We got a babysitter. Then 8 of us went to Mas for dinner. Mas doesn't take reservations and it was really busy even though it was early. We figured everywhere had a long wait though based on our experiences that day so we just started drinking and hilarity ensued.

Before picture: Brandon, Michele, Janice, Darren, Jaime, me, Brady, Walsh

Eventually, Janice and Darren had to give up, but they were there for some of the best of it anyway. We were seated, we ate a lot, we drank some more, and here's our after picture- note that Janice and Darren turned into Kevin, Robin, and Cory. Also, Jaime saved my life by suggesting we quit while we were ahead. Actually, I was way ahead!

 

After picture: Kevin, me, Jaime, Michele, Brandon, Walsh, Brady, Robin, and Cory

Sunday we regrouped at Mas for some coffee and snacking. James played a little made-up-chess with a little girl he met. Charlottesville is cerebral like that.

Snuggling with Jaime at Mas

 

Cory and James are besties

I've never seen the pieces move like that- it's like they're chess wizards. Ha.

Michele and Brandon went off for a fun day of hiking and wine tasting (I should have gone with them!) While the UVAers went to Champions to watch the UVA game. The extremely devastating UVA game. Extremely. On the plus side, the food truck outside was selling delicious BBQ, so there's that.

Brady, James, Kevin, Miranda, me (photo by Walsh?)

Cory, Robin, and Miranda

We thought we'd drive home after that, but Miranda had other thoughts. After a lot of screaming we decided we should stop in Arlington and tire her out. Janice and Darren gladly obliged. Jaime came over too and we took the kids to the park briefly. They were actually happier chasing Fudgie around the house than at the park anyway. After a big pizza dinner, we finally headed home. 

 

Janice welcoming the trouble-maker

At the park

 

Dancing disco together.

"NONE SHALL PASS!"

Let's do again next year! Where to? You're invited! Clou-a-rama!

• Charlottesville, May 2013
• Charlottesville, April 2012

Our Friends on Halloween 2014

All of our friends looked adorable on Halloween so I thought I'd feature some here.

First, let's start with the happiest Halloween ever. Last year Owen was getting stem cell treatment for his cancer, and this year he was running down the street trick-or-treating. So this wins for awesomest happiest Halloween picture:

Owen and Hailey

I am biased in favor of awesome group costumes- so they come next!:

The Where's Waldo crew: Rachel, Tim, Eleanor and Isaac-Waldo

Wizard of Oz: Michele-Dorothy and friends

Jim and Lisa the vampires and theirs son Otto as a bat 

Family cuteness:

 

Kevin's tiny princess cousin Abigail


Kevin's cousin Mike and Mike's gf Havi

Childhood friends and their kids:

Casey's kids, Oliver and Laurel (far left)

Jon's kid Ben as Elmo

Trey and Sunny's pirate Cort and parrot Max

Neil the ape and his baby banana Bettina (and mom Ann)

College friends and kids:

Christina and Dan's superhero Hudson

Megan and Ed's Buzz Lightyear William

Princess Meghan and her knight Evan and ninja Nate

Batman-Cory and Cat Lady-Robin, although this would have 

been a perfect opportunity for Robin to be Batman's Robin 

Jeff and Inga's panda Silas

Other adorable friends:

Cathy's princesses Madison and Kennedy

Anna's kids: fairy Clara, lion Maxwell, Hogwarts student Abby, Princess Leah Lydia

 

Lina and Tiger Caleb

I only had one fur baby submission this year:

Janice and Darren's Fudgie the spider