snow days

Day 1 We woke up with a little snow and no school. It started really coming down late afternoon and the big kids ran out the door ready to build that first snowman. 5 pm equals dark up here so they came in and warmed up with a bath and dinner and we cuddled up to a movie when all went dark. It was close to bedtime so we pulled out all the heavy blankets and piled them high and watched the snow fall for a while. The kids all curled up in my bed and Lydia tried to have a spend-the-night party too, but she partied too much and was finally kicked out of the room.

Day #2 was lots of fun to look at, but still no power (or coffee). There was little draw to go outside if you can't come in to get warm. A great neighbor with a snow-blower bailed us out of our driveway and we took off for a warm meal at our favorite Chick-fil-A. The rest of the day held a nap for all, a Target run (for more heat) and then a pizza out then home to POWER! Erik was also a welcomed sight as he had previously been out of town.

Day #3 was fun with an early morning sledding trip with the big kids and dad. We had lots of friends over for the afternoon and fun in the backyard snow. A big fort, 2 snowmen, bundles of snowballs and one little bity snow-eating girl were all sighted.

Lydia finally "warmed up" to some outdoor fun. Maybe she realized her hands don't get so cold if she leaves her mittens on. Now to teach her the same about her hat!

indoor snow play

First day of snow this week didn't amount to much for the first part of the day. Since Lydia hasn't proved to be a big fan of the snow yet, I brought the snow indoors for her and her little play friend. They had enjoyed getting their hands cold and stuffing their mouths with icy fun.

I know everybody has their funny Wii videos. Our kids are deprived, we have not given in to the trend (yet). However, they do get a little combat time in when we go to my brothers place. I do mean combat. It is all about the active sports-defeat-thy-sibling games. Yesterday, in an unusual turn of events, Caleb was annihilating his sister (4 years older) in the game of fencing. We then all had to take turns with him and this is him even putting smack down on his daddy. Uncle Andy is the only one that ended up being able to defeat the mighty Caleb.

good Saturday

Okay, so this was yesterday, but I have no pictures today, and I can't pass on these from yesterday.
Lydia has recently shown an interest in playing with play dough. It's been a while since we have made Peanut butter dough (here is the first time), but I decided to make up a batch for a cold Saturday. It was still a hit with all the kids.


Then for a nice evening, we went to my "little" brother's to celebrate his and his little daughter's recent birthday. The little girls are about 2 months apart and are so cute together. They pranced in tutus, read books, sucked each others pacies, and hugged each other until they fell over and rounded the evening out by watching a little bit of ballet . I can't wait to see them grow up together.

I Spy

One little satisfied bird and an eye that never closes. It is always staring in our back door.

Duck pin bowling 1-17-11

Who knew? We had never heard of this little game. But it looked like fun so we took the kids to try it out. This alley was very old school with manual scoring. It is like bowling but with smaller, lighter balls and smaller pins. You also get 3 bowls per frame. The gutter guards made for a high scoring game and even Lydia really got into it. Since Lydia took many turns for mom and dad, Alexia came out the winner of the day.

Day in D.C.

Today we checked a few more things off our "Things To Do in DC" list. Actually, we don't really have a list. We intend to go to one place, park, get sidetracked by someplace else we see and just end up rambling in and out of places until T-2 minutes of 2 year old melt down. In that case, we get out to the car put everyone in and call a mandatory quiet zone until usually 2 of 3 children fall asleep in .5 seconds and the 3rd child has no one to talk to so she just blankly stares at the scenery home fighting to stay awake. Today was no exception. We ended up at the Library of Congress in the Jefferson building. It was an incredible library with beautiful architecture and gorgeous, elaborate decor. Everything was a tribute to historical writers, printing presses or types of writings. The statures in the below pictures were representatives of the branches such as science, poetry, the arts, philosophy etc.

My favorite part was seeing the book collection of one of my historical heroes - Thomas Jefferson. The variety of his books was amazing. Everything from architecture and agriculture to foreign language Bibles. Books on math and poetry - no wonder he was an amazing founder of our country and an ingenious inventor.

As we wandered to Union Station, we passed the Supreme Court which was closed for the day :). (Every time we go, we see more we want to come back to visit). The kids then saw some parked trains which didn't do much for them. I guess Amtrack just doesn't look as cool as the old steam engines. Afterward, we moved on to the Post Office museum next door. There were interesting facts to read. Our kids favorite was sitting and "driving" in the cut off cab of a semi-truck display. It was part of a display of examples of the ways our mail is carried. But, this was also the final moments of our countdown-to-meltdown so either stamps weren't interesting enough, or all my kids have a future in truck driving. We made it out with no tears and everyone standing. Said goodbye to one of the many security guards we saw in the small post office museum. (Side note, of all the large museums we have been to, there were more guards for that little museum than any others - things that make you go hmmm). One child down and out for the count on the first road, second child out as soon as we headed up the scenic George Washington Parkway. It was a quiet ride home paired perfectly with the grande mocha Erik picked up for me on the way to get the car.

it's finally coming!!

Driving home from our dinner it finally started snowing. Lydia got the biggest kick as we drove through the snowfall. The kids got about 2 minutes outside in it before having to come in for baths. You see, up here we have these things called "snow plows" and "sand trucks" which might allow for school tomorrow. I hate that the kids miss watching it fall while they sleep, but I am enjoying it.

1-10-11 lil' shopper

Our new grocery store has these little mini-shopping carts that Lydia loves to push. While it slows me down a little (think "no, Lydia, I don't need any mint chutney today, please put that back") it really cuts down on the battle of staying in a cart and bribing with unlimited snacks. She cracked me up today and got a lot of attention in her get-up. She is in her princess tutu pushing around her baby doll while holding a "phone".

Jan 8

We met up with some friends at a..urr..umm..how do you say..burger joint (GASP!) Yes, we confess, we actually eat meat contrary to what the cows tell us. Anyway, Lydia discovered something else she liked - onion rings. Once again, what 2 year old eats something like onion rings? Must be a growth spurt.

Jan 6

One of my favorite additives to food - mini-chocolate chips. This is my FAVORITE banana muffin recipe. It's yummy moist and no nuts. Alexia one time told me she likes it when she hears the mixer after she is in bed, because she knows she will have something yummy for breakfast in the morning - she's got it!

Jan 5

Tuesday nights are always a little crazy-busy- fun and last night was extra fun (see below cow post). Often I don't finish my dinner and just bring it home for later. Well, my coleslaw for later became part of my lunch today and look who likes it. Who would have guessed a 2 year old would like coleslaw? She got mad when I would take a bite out of it.

Accomplishment!!!

That is a BIG smile on my face. About a year ago Lydia exhibited signs of severe aversion to the Chick-fil-A cow. You know, the panic, screaming, hyperventilation, claw -someone -to -pieces -to get away type aversion. It's not so good when your dad sends out the cow each Tuesday night at dinner time. We thought cow-therapy would help. She only became scared of the room that the cow dressed up in, the cow handler, and yes, even some of our employees that were the cow (shh..don't tell Truett Cathy I'm saying all this). Our cow knew to avoid Lydia at all cost. Until tonight, something clicked she decided with a little safety of mom's arms, she would "high five" the cow. We did it over and over. Our workers were even happy to see this huge change of heart. She liked the soft feel of it's umm...hoof. And, even went back again to give it a goodbye five! I am curious if the love will continue. I guess we are safe to go to Disney and visit characters now huh?

Lots to do

The kids headed back to school today. This morning (at 7:30) I remarked to Caleb that he was up and ready fast. To which he replied "Yeah, I've got a lot to do."

1-2-11

Putting away the Christmas decorations at our Chick-fil-A.
I actually love being in the store when it's closed. It kind of gives you a sense of ownership and privilege. We usually go as a family every Tuesday night for Family night and it can often get a little crazy so I like being there in the quiet to just enjoy the blessing it is to us.

Picture #1 January 1, 2011

My little Indians were running wild today around this ti-pi. Where? Off the National mall on Independence Avenue.
To ring in the New Year, we headed downtown with no particular museum in mind. We ended up at the National Museum of the American Indian. This is a ti-pi exhibit outside the building. The kids had fun burning some energy on a somewhat warmer day. We then headed over to Chinatown to enjoy quite a vast array of good food.

Resurection of the blog

DSC06544
Originally uploaded by The Amicks

It has been 18 months. I will not even begin to try to catch up on everything that has taken place since my last post. Most people know anyways. This year I am going to ATTEMPT to post a "picture of the day". This will greatly challenge my creative juices that I have always been pretty low on. However, to satisfy my faraway family and to keep track of our goings-on I will try to log them here. We will see...

This is a picture that I think sums up our life over the past year. Erik (and family) pursued and was granted a Chick-fil-A store here in Maryland. So we packed the house, moved and watched the store be built after the winter snow finally melted. It was a joyous opening in July and we have loved everything about it!