Gramma Jean and Grandpa David came down to watch the kids while we did house hunting stuff… And they arrived in time to go to baseball with us!
Category Archives: Friends & Family
Our last bingo night—and we won two baskets!
Headed off to our last PTO Bingo Night! 🙁
We actually donated a big snack basket this year (I’ve been wanting to donate one for awhile now) and I debated buying raffle tickets because we don’t need anything… But it was to benefit the school so why not?! I bought 20 and gave each of the kids five tickets to put in whatever they wanted. Katie put all hers in the Emoji Basket and Owen put his in an Art Basket. I spread the rest out between some Chocolate Baskets and the Art Basket.
Owen wanted to sit with his friends…
So the first bingo game starts and Katie literally had every single number called and we were sure she was going to win…but she didn’t. But imagine our surprise when they brought up the first basket—one of the chocolate baskets—and we won!! Woohoo!!
Soon the Emoji Basket came up and I happened to record it just in case…
All night Katie kept saying “I can’t believe we won TWO baskets!” 🙂 This makes up for three years of winning nothing!
This was the kindergarten chocolate basket. We really really lucked out—everything from M&Ms to s’more fixins to brownie mix to sandwich cookies to truffles to camel milk chocolates!!!
And enough emoji stuff to choke a horse!!
Ice cream truck!
The kids have been bugging us and bugging us and bugging us about getting ice cream from the ice cream man ever since he started coming around this spring. We promised them we’d do it once before we moved—but the timing would have to be right since he usually comes to the playground after school and that is right before dinner. So today we were at Julie’s and she was going to get something for Kayleigh and offered to get something for Katie… Well I couldn’t very well have Katie telling Owen she got something so I texted Tom and had him send Owen out. They were thrilled.
She finally went across after two months!
We have been trying to coach her over the top for two months now… She will get to the top and just stay there, then claim she’s too scared. Today she finally did it!! And then did it again and again like it was nothing!
She figured this out on her own.
Our friends bring this little car to the playground and mostly it goes unused. But today Katie realized they could do this. 🙂
My launch party was a success!
So, I just had my first in-home party (my business launch!)…and while I thought it was a total hot mess, they told me everything was fine and they had fun. (There were only six ladies and they are all good friends so I could be honest with them and ask for their honest opinions.) I dislike selling and feel like I stink at it so really just felt like I was pretty much out of control the whole time and consequently I felt totally off my game and I felt like I looked like an idiot (I know we are always hardest on ourselves). But they all seemed happy and bought stuff so it’s all good. And I know it will get easier with practice…
We didn’t take any official selfies but I did snap a few quick shots so I could remember who bought what (I was still figuring out how to use my credit card system!)
Why do I have to leave these people? Stupid military.
Another awesome Friday night gathering where all the kids get along (tonight there were 15!), the adults get along and have an amazingly fun time (tonight included shots of fireball whiskey, cigars, and stories about tattoos and piercings), and reluctantly leaving just before 11pm. I can cry just thinking about leaving…
Angels baseball pics
Katie and I stayed home while the boys went for team pictures.
A friend sent this. We are really going to miss these people.
My shirt said so.
A bunch of baseball parents went out tonight for Cinco de Mayo. This is our obligatory date night selfie:
And my obligatory lipstick photo (these are how I post them in my Facebook group):
And the obligatory margarita photo with my Mommy needs a margarita shirt in the background. (This was the most appropriately-themed piece of clothing I had for the holiday.)
What was funny is that as we were sitting down, all the girls gravitated towards one end so the table was split into boys and girls.
Baseball morning
This is how Katie keeps busy during baseball games.
Partisan Pig Feast + More!
A Tivo-peep/Michigan friend, Therese, was in town for a conference, so we threw together a last-minute dinner downtown at The Partisan (I was thrilled to go there because that’s a dinner we recently missed when Tom had to be in Chicago for work).
The menu changes daily (and I forgot to take a picture of it—I’m slacking in my old age) so I checked their website hoping for tonight’s selection…but it wasn’t meant to be. That said, most of the items were still listed. I’m fairly sure you will be able to tell which descriptions are from the actual menu I found. (I also didn’t take pictures of the dishes like I normally would—so all the food pictures below (minus one) are all from TCF peep friend Jonathon.) As is usual practice, we all ordered a bunch of stuff then shared everything.
Three of us ordered this (which means everyone got to try it all). Unfortunately, none of the courses were listed so I’m going by memory:
– Lamb Koobideh Kebab, Doner Spice, Sumac Onions, Coriander Yogurt, Mint
– Beef Fat Fries, Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, Ranch Aioli
– “Head shoulders knees and toes” taquitos (Pig Feast course #1)
– Seared Scallops, & Morcilla [blood] Sausage, Adobo Cream, Lardo, Agave (ordered off menu but it was also Pig Feast course #3 so we had double portions!)
– Dan Dan Noodles with Beef Cheek
– Prosciutto and asparagus (Pig Feast course #2)
– Pasta with pig face ragout (Pig Feast course #4)
– Pork tenderloin with fava beans, polenta, and arugula (Pig Feast course #5)
It was at this point that Tom said “Well, I think that’s it!” And then the waiter brought out two more dishes! 🙂
– Rotissi-fried Chicken, Honey Hot Sauce
– Chocolate Cake Donut Holes, Chocolate Pudding, Chocolate Crunch Pearls
And the only food pic I took myself—my share of the dessert plate:
Goodbye selfie:
F-It Friday #4
It was our turn to host tonight and we had a small group as two families couldn’t make it… But we made up for it in craziness.
The group selfie…
And then we had Katie take a picture!
And then one of the kids mentioned Pie Face and we had whipped cream for the dessert, so… There was lots of this.
Saying goodbye to Uncle Eddy and Miss Nancy.
Some Tivo peeps met for breakfast before flights out…
A great day and night with great friends!
Nancy was helping me with a Jamberry manicure and Ken decided he wanted a few nails done as well.
Nancy and I tried to recruit two friends to the wonderful LipSense world today…and I introduced them to my infamous (?!) stairwell shooting location. 😊
Tammy and Amy helping me roll bread balls for garlic bread bites.
The whole group!
Uncle Eddy!
We need a bigger table!
The dessert table! Eddy helped me make a cheese flan (with a caramelized top) in the instant pot (far right) and it turned out great! And Amy brought three cakes from Juniors Cheesecakes!
This is why we need better outdoor space! This is where everyone always wants to congregate and we only have eight chairs with barely enough space to hold them!
The party mostly died out by about 11 and just a handful of us stayed talking to about midnight. It was a great night with great friends…
Lunch and Pokemon in Occoquan with friends!
Trying out each other’s lipsticks before heading out to lunch! Neither of us liked the colors on us but liked the colors on the other!
In Occoquan! Nancy and Eddy gave us grief over the name and called it something different every time they said it which was hilarious. I think Khakakan was our favorite.
Our lunch that took forever and a day. Excellent food, awful timing.
Uncle Eddy showing off the awesome portrait camera setting on the iPhone 7+ (blurred background). I want it badly but the phone is just TOO big.
Easter gifts from Gramma Jean
Katie put her skirt on right away (it actually even matched what she was wearing) and they LOVED the candy in the bunny egg.
Going away party prep!
This was the weekend of our first (of potentially two) going away parties… And it was all for the TiVo peeps! (We debated having just one party but that would be soooo many people!)
Ones of the goals was to pare down our alcohol stash…
And freezer contents… This is like four racks of ribs (another two went in the instant pot).
Love being able to meet up with old friends!
The Mitchells were going to be in Virginia visiting Amanda (getting the nursery ready!) so they had planned to come visit us…but since we were going to be close to them after flying, we met for lunch!
The only good thing at Chuck E. Cheese.
Birthday party fun—spending a token on my favorite “game.”
Purple pearls!
After all these years I finally have the perfect outfit to wear with my Grandma Smith’s purple pearls. She loved her costume jewelry…
Lego build and dinner out night!
Post-dinner dancing.
Bubbles with Liam
It was a gorgeous day so we spent some time outside with our friends at their house.
Bunny Head
Granny Lin sent the kids some Easter treats… These are chair covers that Owen immediately co-opted for a hat.
A new TiVo peep!
A well-traveled TiVo friend that we’ve been wanting to meet forever finally crossed our path at a convenient time! (He’s the one we got our gnomes and awesome vases from!) We drove to his hotel in National Harbor and then went out for a delicious Peruvian dinner.
April Fool’s Saturday Night Dinner
Gecko Girl
We were at a friend’s babysitting and Katie had to put on Liam’s new gecko costume.
Playing tour guide again
This time it was one of his high school classmates and her high school daughter.
Maddie and the Pokémon cards
Maddie and Owen have been friends since kindergarten but have never been in the same class! They do ride the same bus, though, so see each other every day. She will stop by to see if Owen is home and wants to go to the playground. He was at baseball practice when she stopped today, so when he got home I sent him up to her house and they went to the playground. After he asked if she could come over. Of course! And what did they do? Look at and talk about Pokémon cards for an hour!
After this we shall need wine.
My friend Caitlin convinced me to go outside my box and travel 30 minutes to take the kids to an indoor play area. The kids had fun; I got to catch up on my reading. 🙂
Kindergarten Reunion
Owen was invited to a sleepover at his friend Nick’s house (they have the day of tomorrow for a teacher work day). Another friend came over and the mom sent me this picture. They were all in kindergarten together and Owen and Nick are in the same class this year. (Owen has also played baseball with Xander.)
This is the type of thing that I am really going to miss when we move. 🙁
