Delaplane Strawberry Festival

So Nate has a thing with finding us new, never-been-done-before activities (by us) each weekend we have free.  With it being strawberry picking season, he stumbled upon the Delaplane Strawberry Festival advertisements, and he knew what we were going to do this weekend.  So we jumped in the car about 9AM, and a little over an hour later we were navigating the rolling hills of Delaplane, VA, being traffic-controlled to our "parking spot" out in the middle of a field on a slightly descending hillside.  It was beautiful. 

 

And even more beautiful in that the car-ride up wasn't a train-wreck, minus Lauren asking, "Where are we going Daddy?", literally every three minutes.  You just have to stop answering after a while, right??? 
So in that hour we went from the warm, densely populated city of Alexandria, to the sweeping views and rolling green hills of rural NOVA.  But it seemed that we went through not only a culture warp, but a weather warp as well.  People were not rushing at 100 MPH, nor did they give you the impression they felt that they themselves were more important than you (oh East Coast, don't get me started)... 
At any rate, at this slightly higher elevation on an unseasonably mild day, it was a bit chilly and the wind was definitely cooling it down that much more.  But it was completely tolerable with a jacket, which unfortunately Nate forgot to bring. *insert goose bumps here*  So he wore his goose bumps with pride and toughed it out Colorado-boy style.  He was not about to let the wind and chill get in the way of the girls' fun-day. 
So we went straight to the hay bale maze!  It was a one-way maze, so of course sweet, energizer bunny Lauren tore through it like it was on fire.

Then she had to be redirected by the staff not to go in the exit a couple times, in her attempts to go find Olivia.  Olivia, she who knows and goes a normal toddler speed, verses Lauren's full-throttle, full-time.

Next we went to the potato sack race area.  Olivia was content in daddy's arms, while Lauren wanted to get inside a sack and jump with the other kids.  Once the lady said, "Go!", it was like a herd of cats were being released into the wild, going every which way.  Lauren made it about halfway down to the turn-around, before she took a spill and flailed like a turtle on her back for a minute or so.  She then saw an older girl on her way back to the finish line, decided to get up and follow her across the finish line.  So it looked like she finished in 2nd place, but was technically the 1st place finisher in the disqualified bracket!  That's our competitive sweet girl!  All the while Olivia is hollering from Nate's arms for Lauren to, "Mere 'Livia"! (translated to "Come Here, Olivia").  Yes, that's right. Olivia calls Lauren by the name Olivia.  Even after we ask her to repeat the name Lauren back to us while pointing at her sister, Olivia will still call Lauren by Olivia. Every. Single. Time.  I just hope Lauren doesn't begin to think her name is 'Livia!

We then ran over to the cake-walk area, and walked from red square to red square with the rest of the kids at the festival.  We went about 13 rounds before Olivia was lucky enough to have her number called (#25).  It was perfect timing really, because the girls were losing interest and asking for a treat by this time.  So they split the mini-cupcake, much to Olivia's disliking.

Then off to the face-painting booth where the girls chose what they wanted on their cheeks.  Lauren chose a strawberry (probably because pictures of them were all around us, and it was the first thing she saw/thought of), and Olivia chose a flower.  They both sat extremely still and didn't even smudge their face-paint before it was dry.  Yeah for non-ruined clothing!

 

We then headed towards the festival's craft tents, which had quite the assortment of craftiness.  Everything from giant marbles, to animal figurines made out of pots and pans, to knit owl hats--which were adorable!  They even had them in Denver Bronco colors!  But since we already have owl hats for the girls, Mr. Nate wasn't feeling it...so we walked on...mostly just to keep him warm. :0)

 

The infamous owl hats! Who could have too many of these?!

 

We then stumbled upon the self-titled Virginia Jelly Bean Queen, whom does not sell jelly beans, but instead makes balloon animals/shapes.  So we stood in the barn to keep out of the wind, and waited for the girls to get their 3 foot long flowers.  They loved them, but had a hard time keeping ahold of them in the wind.  And when they were holding them they were swatting things with them; therefore causing petals of their flowers to pop/"fall off". 

 

We then got to see a small hand-held monkey (not sure of the breed), whom took quarters from people gathering around to see the spectacle.  But the kettle corn smelled too good and was apparently calling the girls' names, so we headed to the food booths for some fresh-out-the-kettle popcorn.  It really was delicious!  From there we walked and munched on popcorn.  We saw cows, horses and ponies, and even raced tractor-like tricycles.  The crowd was really beginning to swell by this time, so we decided to call it a day and head for our car.  The girls were content because they had their popcorn and a nice car-ride/nap time coming their way.  What a day!

 



Strawberry Picking at Shlagel Farms

Lucky for the Olsen's, moving to the D.C. metro area did not mark an end to the pick-your-own produce we grew so accustomed to in Belleville, Illinois.  Oh Eckert's Farm, how you spoiled us so...and we really had no idea how good we had it there in Southern Illinois.  But we recognize the fact now and sorely miss the access Eckert's allowed to good times and good food...and great frozen custard!  Man could I go for a caramel apple concrete right now! Mmmm...

Shlagel Farms, Waldorf, MD

Back to strawberries...So granted the pick-your-own farms out here are not five minutes from our house, nor does one farm seem to grow it all; but it is available at least within an hours drive.  Enter Shlagel Farms.  It's located on the northern outskirts of Waldorf, Maryland, about a 30 minute drive from us in Alexandria.  It too is a family-owned farm, with fields as far as the eye can see.  They also have a mini play area (play set, dirt pile, and a chicken coop/pen) near the fields for when the kids attention is no longer occupied by picking strawberries off the vine.  A pretty genius idea Shlagel Family!  When the picking was all said and done, we ended up with about 7lbs of fresh strawberries and two fruit-filled, extremely happy little girls.

Lauren "the quick picker" mid crouch

Nate quite obviously needed some extra help.

 

Lauren found this ride in the Shlagel barn while we were paying for our strawberries. She's probably the cutest occupant that tractor has ever seen...probably the most stubborn too! ;0P

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Why are You Stuck in My Hair?!

Lauren loves to brush hair. Mine. Nate's. Anyone that will allow her near their hair--she'll brush it.  This new fascination being brought on by a small hair brush shaped like her favorite Disney princess-Rapunzel.  I should note that she loves this brush so much, that she "lifted" it from her friend Lorelei Morgan while in Florida over Easter. Really.  She just took it and hid it in our car (sorry again Kara!).  Apparently the old witch from Tangled isn't the only one that wants to keep Rapunzel illegally locked away for her own use.
At any rate, at 2 1/2 years of age, Lauren has yet to master pulling the brush all the way through one's hair.  It's not an age appropriate maneuver for her, I get that.  But I really need to start working on this key element with her, otherwise I'm going to end up bald.  And not from trying to teach a toddler, but bald from trying to untangle the entrenched brush from my long hair.

This go-round it was an a-mazing hot mess.  I felt like I was trying to free a caged bird that just kept flapping around, hindering the process.  The bird in this case being Rapunzel the brush, being thrashed about by the ever helpful Lauren. "No worry mom. Jes one more mint".  But the "mint" (minute) ended up turning into about 25 minutes of strand pulling every which direction through the brush.  Not to worry though, Lauren kept up her words of encouragement from time-out in the corner.  "Doin good job mom". And believe it or not, time-out wasn't a result of the brush entanglement, but from Lauren's inability to not grab the brush handle and yank while I was picking it out of my hair. 

Oh Rapunzel, Rapunzel, aren't you so glad to be free of my hair?!

 

A Visit from Lizi!

My sister, Lizi, took a break from her hectic practice back in Arizona, and came out to Virginia for a visit with her favorite Olsen Girls!  Unfortunately with the difference in time zones, my girls' 6 o'clock wake-up felt pretty brutal to Lizi.  But at least this early wake-up call (3am AZ time), was accompanied by cute little faces that wanted to snuggle her.  Olivia made sure that Auntie Lizi gave her some quality bed-snuggle time each morning by squawking at her, but only loud enough that Lizi could hear, as to not rouse Lauren.  Olivia didn't like to share Auntie Lizi this early in the morning...

The weather was nice and comfortable while Lizi was here, so we have many park outings with the girls.  And though Lizi did miss the Cherry Blossoms on the National Mall, we went down regardless to see everything else that was in bloom.  The Mall was busy as usual, with some wonderful people watching to be done!  I'm always so amazed at how many different languages we hear spoken while down visiting the national monuments.  What do we see/hear most?  I believe it's either Korean or Japanese; though with the time I spent in Korea, maybe I'm just able to pick up when I do hear Korean.  Interestingly enough, English may be the language we hear least while there.  Do Americans even make the time to come see our National Capitol, or is it just the rest of the world that does?!  It could just be the time of year; though we probably go monthly, so I'm not sure that's the case Anyway... 

We sure loved the time Lizi spent with us here and can't wait to have her back again.  Maybe we can talk Uncle Joe, Connor, and Hadley to come out for a visit this fall...we'll just have to work on our luring techniques of getting Arizona family to come out here for a visit.  We've actually just recently found a couple fishing areas along the Potomac and other waterways near by...maybe that'll convince Joe...and maybe even my dad/Grandpa Bill to come out for a looksee! ;0)

Child Labor Laws?

Not in this house there's not!  Right now these babies are working for their room and board!  Okay, really though, they wouldn't let go of my cleaning "tools".  Currently they see them as toys.  If only I had such a positive outlook towards them right?! ;0P

Lauren: 33 months old

Olivia: 20 months old

This house has never had a better looking cleaning crew! 

Where's the Nutella Girls?! ...& Baby Hulk Sighting!

So I was trying out a new banana bread muffin recipe.  One with the likes of peanut butter and Nutella stuffed in the middle.  Sounds pretty delicious right?! Well, unfortunately I can't verify their tastiness.  At least not how these recipes were written because a key ingredient mysteriously went missing in the middle of the muffin liner filling process.  Can you guess which ingredient went rogue, and where it went?!

"Um girls, where's the Nutella?"  Lauren chimes in, "Olivia did it!"  Good to know that Lauren is still the bus driver, freely rolling over people she throws under the buses path! Beep, beep!  I turn to Olivia to find the hot mess in the picture above.  "Olivia, what happened to the Nutella?"  Olivia looks directly into my eyes and shrugs, "I no no mommy"  Meaning?  You guessed it, "I don't know mommy."  She's so cute here, but I was not so woo'd at the time, so I pulled her off her stool and went about finishing the muffins. 

 

She had pretty much depleted my small existing rations, so I had to change up the recipe on the fly--chocolate chips in the batter with a teaspoon of peanut butter sunk in the middle.  Now I can comment on these muffins.  Rating = Tasty! 



Girls waiting in angst to see if they'd get to reap the remnants of the mixing bowl.

By the time I got the pans in the oven, Olivia had pulled a chair over to the counter and she and Lauren proceeded to climb onto the counter.  They were looking to lick anything I would pass their way, which I did accommodate.  Olivia was already a hot, Nutella, chocolate mess, and I felt that Lauren deserved a reward for not downing the Nutella alongside Olivia.  So they did in fact get to lick the mixing paddle and the spatula.  Then each proceeded to get a paper towel bath to get the gunk off.  Here they are looking nice and clean, showing off their Easter bunnies that Nana Barbie sent them.  Overall it was a baking success, even if it was a baby-made mess!  OH! and check out the chance sighting I got of Baby Hulk--flexed arm pose, gritted teeth and all!!!


Check out the Baby Hulk Pose Olivia is rocking! 
She wanted to scare me off in case I tried to come at her with a wet wipe again!



Sweet Lauren was showing me how she rocked her bunny to sleep.

 

House Warming Wreath Craftiness

Our great friends, Luke and Jessica Stumme, just closed on their first house in Old Town Alexandria.  So I wanted to make them something special to commemorate their new house.  What did I come up with?  How about a one-of-a-kind front door wreath?!  One spool of twine, one yard of burlap, one wooden letter "S", and a couple different homemade flowers and bows later...and...voila! 

I really like how it turned out!  So much so I might just have one gracing our front door before you know it!

Inaugural Visit to Georgetown Cupcakes

What has Lauren grinning from ear-to-ear while licking her lips and fingers at lightening speed?!  Why that would be our first-time visit to Georgetown Cupcakes, the location of TLC's television series, DC Cupcakes. 

We went there today with out great friend Amber, and her daughter, Ellie.  It was actually Amber's idea, did I mention she's a genius?! :0P  So we headed towards Georgetown after morning rush-hour, about 9am this morning.  We had great traffic and made great time, but guess what we found when we got there?  The store opens at 10am, and waiting outside their front door was a line already half-way up the block!

 

I know what you're thinking--cupcakes at 10am in the morning Katy?!  Well, when you have toddlers that aren't great at standing in line, and you go and visit places that require standing in lines (most places here in the metro area), you make strategic decisions to avoid potential tantrum scenes.  Hence the morning wake up to get to Georgetown Cupcakes.

 

So we were able to grab a parking space literally across the side-street from Georgetown Cupcakes; but we then found two sleeping children--Olivia and Ellie. Ugh.  But, wait!  There are two grown-ups here, so this is a cake walk (literally).  What a luxury!  Silly, but a luxury nonetheless, to have someone old enough to just sit in the car with the sleeping child. 

 Lauren and I jumped out of the car first and went and stood in the light D.C. drizzle to get our first taste of these legendary cupcakes.  The line moved fast and once inside the doors, the sheer amount of cupcakes on pedestals were unreal.  Easily 200+ cupcakes behind a wall of glass, 20+ flavors. *insert beaming white light from heaven and angels singing here*  Seeing this wall-o-cakes, Lauren went bonkers!  I loved seeing her reaction.  It was the second highlight of the day, next to tasting the cupcake!  She was literally a kid in a cupcake store, and living up to the saying! 

 

Then, to see the amount of people they had working the register, in back baking/icing cupcakes, and just those filling orders--there had to be at least 25 people (no lie!) working in this storefront.  And it wasn't a super large storefront by any means.  It was shoulder to shoulder inside, both in front of and behind the counter.  Probably not the best environment for someone that's claustrophobic, but luckily neither Lauren or I suffer from that.  The sweet lady in front of us worked just a couple blocks away and was more than happy to tell us about her favorite cupcakes.  So we followed her advice on flavors and she was spot on (or so I believe, as I didn't try all four cupcakes we bought)--red velvet, chocolate peanut butter chip, chocolate ganache, and vanilla squared. Why I didn't take a picture of these simple, yet beautiful cakes? Not sure. :/  Guess a return trip is in order?!?!?



Not my picture, but shows the simple,
but sweet decoration.





National Cherry Blossom Festival - A Bucket List Item for Anyone!

Now I understand what all the talk is about when it comes to D.C. and cherry blossoms in the springtime.  I've truly never seen more beautiful blooms/foliage in all of my life. 


Tidal Basin on the National Mall-National Cherry Blossom Festival
NOTE: This picture was not taken by me personally, explanation why is to follow...

When they first started talking about the world renowned National Cherry Blossom Festival it in the news here though, I didn't understand why they celebrated it for approximately a month.  When I think of a festival, I think of a limited time only type deal--a weekend to one week, max.  Definitely not a month long though.  So for the average West Coaster/Arizonan (i.e. myself), the reason behind this month long duration is because Mother Nature is a fickle woman and not even the politicians in D.C. can dictate when the blossoms will show up each year.  You like that explanation?!  Seriously proud of it! ;0P  Also for the not-so-well-versed-on-cherry-blossomers, the National Cherry Blossom Festival takes place each year to commemorate the gift of some 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo to our nation’s capital in 1912.  I did not know that tid-bit when I moved here, so I thought I'd share.

So how was the festival you ask?!  Well, I don't know. *sigh*  The blossoms showed up abnormally late this year, so unfortunately we Olsen's took a trip down to the National Mall too early and didn't make it back before the blossoms disappeared (hence it not being a Katy-taken picture above).  In our defense though, we went to see the blossoms on April 6th, what would seem a conservative date, if not a little bit late, for a Festival that "runs" from March 20th - April 14th.  But, since we had a colder than usual spring, the peak bloom didn't happen until April 8th-10th (conflicting info on exact date).  So our jaunt down to the Mall was premature by days. ;0/  BTW, the Peak Bloom Date is the day on which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees that surround the Tidal Basin are open. I believe they were 50%-60% open when we were there. 

I was so bummed about our "miss" on this excursion that I took only ONE photo, and it was just of Nate and Olivia...no pictures of skulking Lauren in her red Radio wagon.  In her defense though, Lauren was jacket less and freezing.  We forgot to grab her jacket, Nate's jacket, nor my jacket.  So we had nothing to offer her.  Also, our diaper bag snack supplies were severely depleted at the playground the day before, so I couldn't even offer her some snacks to cheer her up.  So with that third strike against us (#1 being blossoms not full out yet, #2 being jacket less), I convinced Nate that we needed to call it a day (it was like 9am!).  We'll just say that Nate was "not-happy" with the situation, but complied with leaving.

Olivia was laughing, so pardon the double chin

Needless to say my first National Cherry Blossom Festival was a fail :(  BUT, I'll be all over it next year!  Even if that means the girls and I do a daily run up to the National Mall to get a real live look at how the blossoms are blooming.  I know what you're thinking--Overkill right?  No way.  Not after seeing some of the pictures that friends took when they went at the right time.  Unreal.  Truly.  I found the following picture online, which seemed to capture what I love most about the older trees out here--when they canopy a street/walkway.  Gorgeous.  I will make it to the 2014 Festival.  Even if I have to go by myself!

Petals begin to pile up on the ground so much so, that it begins to look like fallen snow.

Last Day of Classes: Gymnastics & ABC123

Lauren had her last day of classes for this quarter at the Lee Rec Center.  And oh how we loved these classes!  They helped get us all up and going in the morning, as well as allowing the little girls to be active during the winter months here.

This is right before Olivia was kicked in the face by Lauren :(

  

They both developed great balance during this class.

Olivia wasn't even signed up for the class, but she loved Ms. Jewell and this matching game!

Lauren's sitting on the ground chatting with her new friend, Mary Grace.

We look forward to taking more classes in the coming months at Lee Rec. And hopefully we'll get Ms. Jewell and Ms. Laura as teachers again!

Florida Vacation #2!

We went to visit the Wilson Family at Tyndall AFB in Panama City, Florida, again! Yep, they allowed us back through their doors after our trip to visit in September (2012), and man do we love it here.  It is a bit bittersweet in visiting them though.  Since Tyndall was where we were supposed to be stationed right now (July 2012 blog post delves into full explanation), it's rough to come and see how awesome it is and not get a bit peeved at missing out on this assignment.  Secondly, we really miss the Wilson's as close friends (kids & Kelly...and PJ too I guess ;P ), and not being able to see them at least weekly like we did in Illinois.  Well, it has been a bummer.  BUT, to focus on the positives...it is awesome to go and vacation where friends live--you really can't beat it!

So we started our 16 hour drive on Saturday evening (April 23rd), so I could get a jump on the drive down while the girls slept peacefully in their seats.  And the plan worked until about 3am, when I got too tired and we stopped and found a hotel for the night/5 hr sleep stop.  We arrived at TAFB on Sunday afternoon to happy, playing friends and beautiful weather.  Seriously, couldn't have asked for a better start to our vacation.

Olivia watching Tangled mid-drive to FL.

Mmmmm--delicious!

And it wouldn't be a visit with Kelly if we didn't bake a little...or a lot!  But we love to try new recipes, and the neighbors don't mind being testers, so why not right?!  Olivia thought it was a great idea!  Plus, we had to make something to take to the Easter Sunday potluck they have with their ward.  So cupcakes were the obvious choice right?!

Front yard/driveway play was our main source of fun this trip!  After our first day here, it got a bit chilly and rainy, which wouldn't be uncharacteristic of anywhere else in the U.S. in the beginning of April.  But there in Florida, Kelly said it wasn't normal.  They had been going to the beach the week before, though admittedly, her kids don't mind cold water. But we just made it like a beach in the front driveway.  Complete with sandpit (front yard) and water (play pool).  This way when kids got too cold or weather rolled in, all could just come inside.  

We certainly had a ton of fun at the little beach right by base housing.  We nicknamed it crab beach because the kids caught like 27 hermit crabs there one day. Even building the crabs their own little aquarium kingdom with their various buckets and toys.  I was their spotter from the bridge, and it was awesome to see them hustle to get the crabs before they got away.  The little kids (Lauren, Kate and Olivia) weren't as enthralled as Brynn, Tyler, and Dylan, but they were loving the water and the sand just as much.

The girls and I went and picked Nathan up from the Tallahassee Regional Airport on Saturday morning, just in time for us all to be together on Easter Sunday, as well as bonafide beach time.  Nathan couldn't come down to Florida until the weekend because he had a TDY to WPAFB the week before.  But he was living it up as soon as he got to Tyndall and caught sight of the Wilson's garage and mass amounts of play things. I'm pretty sure that Nate took anything and everything rideable, that would hold his weight, out for a spin on Harlow Lane.  Technically I guess it had to hold his and Olivia's weight combined, as she had to be riding anything he way.  As evident in the following pictures.

So safe Daddy!

We did make it to Mexico Beach for some fun in the sun the day after Easter.  Lauren loved being buried in the sand, so you can imagine what Nathan and I did most of the day.  Oh, and Kelly got in on the kid-covering too, as she's a well versed veteran on this activity now.

Olivia was content with her shovel and bucket.

Mermaid Lauren

Kelly showed us how to bury a kid, Florida style.

"Look at my mermaid tail mom"

Per the picture above, you can see that Lauren and Olivia were really "classing up" the Wilson's front driveway with their diapered bums and lawn chairs.  Guess we better see if our friendship is still intact enough for us to come visit again late this summer huh?!  The Wilson's might just tell us to leave our clothes on at all times and our lawn chairs at home! :)