Strike a pose

Bears, bears, everywhere

Check out Bree in the giant bear room at Boyds Bear. She really thought this was cool! We are lucky to have this resource so close to home.

Santa and Boyds Bear Country

Jason thought we should all head to Gettysburg, PA to see Santa at Boyds Bear Country. We packed up the car on Sunday the 9th and took a scenic drive north. It was chilly outside but very festive. The Boyds Bear facility was decked out in holiday decorations. There were over 200 kids downstairs having breakfast with Santa when we arrived so we quickly got in line to wait for Santa. Bree was third in line. We watched him come upstairs, walk up to his sleigh, and prepare for visits with the children. She was waving at Santa and wandering around the sliding board and Christmas displays. When it was our turn, I took a step with Bree in my arms. I felt the grip tighten. Every step I took getting us closer to Santa, Bree grasped my arm and body tighter and tighter. My heart was racing as I feared the meltdown that was about to come. As we approached Santa, his elf handed Bree a gorgeous teddy bear ornament with a red hat and purple dress. She wanted nothing to do with it. I turned to put her in Santa's lap and she held on so tight that I held my arm out and she was attached without any help from me. Santa's elf called it the "Deathgrip." She cried and I said "thank you" and gracefully moved on. :) We walked down the stairs, Bree sobbing. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she realized it was all over, she was safe, she didn't have to sit on that mystical characters lap, and she started dancing and running all over the place like a wild child. I guess she felt a huge sigh of relief . . . all her nervous jitters gone. It was hilarious!! So two Santa attempts (the first was at the Frederick Craft Fair) and all she remembers is that the 1st one said he'd bring her a baby doll . . . We had a terrific family day at Boyds Bear and then later at the Cozy Inn in Thurmont.

Uncle Cory comes to town . . .

I had a lot of fun with my Uncle Cory. He is a goofball. I still don't understand why he wouldn't take me with him - I fit perfectly in the snowbaord bag. Oh well. I just wanted to see Aunt Veronika . . . It was cool riding with him to airport. He brought me my first train set as a Christmas present. I was allowed to open it early. I love Cory. I love Veronika. By the way, Uncle Cory sticks out his tongue a lot. Kind of like how Aunt Leslie did bunny ears in pictures. Aunts and Uncles can be weird. But I love 'em.

Let it Snow!

Mom told me to look out the window this morning because it was snowing . . . I couldn't believe it. I yelled "Shoes, shoes!" and looked everywhere for them. Finally, Mom dressed me up so Dad and I could go catch snowflakes. It is awesome outside.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Well, here she is all decorated. What a beauty. I love touching every single ornament. Mom & Dad ask me to look, don't touch. But whatever, this is the coolest, prettiest tree ever. How can I not touch it? I also like to listen to carols and dance all around the tree. I love Christmas! Mom thinks I may wake up one morning as a true Christmas elf. Dad says I have lots of Christmas spirit. Maybe it's from eating chocolate every morning when Mom and I open the advent calendar . . . ?

Decorating the tree

We called my parents to come help decorate the tree. Jason loves dealing with the lights, can't you tell?

Picking out the Christmas tree

Apparently Mom & Dad have been cutting a tree from Mr. Sharpe's tree farm for the past few years. We drove up to his house on John Cline Rd. north of Wolfsville early Sunday morning and looked around. The fire department was there cutting trees for the County fire halls. It was pretty busy there for a while. The men from the fire dept asked Dad if he wanted to use their chain saw. He told them Mom would be disappointed if she didn't see some sweat go into cutting down our tree. I really liked this small white pine. But I like the Scotch pine Mom and Dad picked too. It was freezing. Mom said it's always cold and windy at Mr. Sharpe's house.

Thanksgiving and Jason's Birthday

We had a feast on Thanksgiving . . . all the traditional foods and a day with family in Tucson. The Riojas family was there - Joe, Hillary, Andrew, Abigail, and Amelia . . . the Lett's - Papa Paul and Nana (aka Grandma Lett) . . . Aunt Leslie and Cousin Shon . . . Grandma and Pop Pop Varnadore . . . and of course, Jason, Hilari and Bree.

Sun setting in North Tucson

Dinner at La Fuente, Tucson, Arizona

Bree loves the mariachi music . . . here we are at La Fuente with Leslie, Shon, Dennis and Melinda for dinner a few nights into the vacation. I love that she knows how to shake those shoulders!! The trumpet player made horse noises through his trumpet for Bree -- she loved it. We had a lot of fun and left good tips as a thank you to this crowd pleasing musical trio!

San Xavier Mission du Bac

We visited this mission - which was built in the mid-1600s by the Fransicans, later run by the Jesuits. The mission is constructed with plaster floors and hand made bricks underneath the centuries of upgraded materials and restorations. Apparently the Spanish intended for this northernmost and remote mission to become a central place for expansion into what is today, Arizona. But it never happened. Here are pictures from inside the dome, the small chapel outside, the terrace, and some artwork. The mission is currently used by the Tohona d'Odham Indian tribe for Catholic mass. A school, cemetary and related outbuildings are nearby.

Tucson trip

Bree loves Amelia Grace Riojas, her second cousin. Amelia is 6 mos younger than Bree and is just learning to walk. Her mom, Jason's Aunt Hillary, brought all three children around during our vacation so that we would have lots of time to play and catch up. Bree had breakfast at least twice a day in Tucson . . . once with Mommy at 4:00 a.m. then again with Grandma or Nana and the family around 8 or 9 when everyone was up and moving around. Grandma made pancakes one day and doubled the recipe so we had early morning leftovers. We went on lots of walks and hikes for fun and to get Bree to fall asleep for naptime. We got a lot of mileage out of our backpack!!!

We're selling our house!

Anyone interested?? Roberta McNamara with Remax 100 is our realtor. Go to http://www.remax.com/, type in 21773 zip code and homes under $300k. Ours will come up. Address is 10516 Highland School Rd, Myersville, MD 21773. Pass it along to anyone friends, family, etc.

We are looking for a 3-4 bdr hopefully close to work, schools, and parks. Keep your fingers crossed for us -- we've had good luck in the past.

Happy Halloween

October and halloween

Bree is all decked out for the beginning of October and halloween. We haven't chosen a costume yet, but we have some good ideas. It's very warm here - was 90 degrees in the early part of the week - and we actually have the air on at home. We went to breakfast with Mimi and Pop Pop this past weekend. We also did In The Streets and DC's Green Festival. Monday was a day off for breezymama so we went to gymnastics together and let Dad sleep in. He played art Guido's Saturday nt and was trying to get over a cold all weekend.