River Farm part TWO

Big hair, big trees and superlative weather with my girls in a garden is pretty much heaven.

River Farm Part One

The girls and I spent the most glorious afternoon at River Farm! The early fall colors were glorious and the weather was welcoming and my two cuties were the sweetest. It was fun to see Sloane in Maeve's old jacket--I'm always so happy when Maeve's wardrobe gets a second chance through Sloane!

Lee District Halloween Parade for MAEVE

I convinced Maeve NOT to be a princess for Halloween and instead 'encouraged' her to be Annie Oakley! She had the bonnet, a gingham shirt, boots AND a pink frontier pistol that we picked up in colonial Williamsburg. She was the cutest little sharp shooter! 

She was in a weird mood at the Halloween parade--I often find that my presence can influence her to act extra moody. I don't understand this but it's the state of things. Nevertheless, she was cute in the parade and I was happy to be there for her!

Oxon Hill Children's Farm

I really wanted to check out the lovely green spaces behind the farm that buttress the Potomac but I knew that Maeve would get fussy about the amount of walking so instead of forcing her to walk I strapped Sloane in the carrier and pushed Maeve in the stroller. It sounds so fussy of me to not be better at making Maeve walk but it worked out well and I was happy with the beautiful view. One day I'll get that girl to like long walks and hikes and physical adventures!

Farewell to Bliss

What a glorious week. We had so much fun! Our brave kids were bold enough to swim in the freezing cold pool countless times while I took refuge in the hot tub.
We listened to Ryan Adam's cover of 1989 over and over.
I went for several jogs on the beach--on one occasion I was the only soul on the beach and I was grateful for that lonely but beautiful experience.
Sea foam flew at us like tumbleweed.
We caught chased crabs at night and Asher was the only one brave enough to hold one!
The kids and Jamie watched all the Star Wars movies in the theater room! 
This was one of the last times I would ever pump milk for a baby of mine and that was bittersweet too.
 I'm going to miss those exciting times and the peace of the beach. I'm not sure when we will return but the memories of this week will sustain us until the next beach adventure!

Morning at the Beach, Continued.

Family! Funny how long ago these photos and tender moments already seem. Sigh.

FAmily Photos on the Beach

I insisted that we all get up to take family photos the last morning of our beach trip! A few days earlier I had taken the girls to the beach at sunrise and the light was the most glorious, golden thing I had almost ever seen. I was hoping for more of the same but this morning the light was more silvery and platinum. Still beautiful, just different.