Dad Visits/Garden/RN/Outside

My Dad came down for a quick visit over the weekend in between meetings in DC.  Last time he was here was unpacking the pods...things have changed!  Stella immediately went for his back pack in search of his iPad.  Her memory is good!  I again braved the fish market and bought some Monk Fish based on the counter help's recommendation.  It was very good-lobster like.  I just broiled it for dinner-the "fillets" were interesting in appearance so I decided to look up what the fish looked like after dinner.  Good thing it was after dinner that I looked it up, interesting looking fish to say the least.  I also learned that it was an "avoid" fish according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium(my source for fish information) based on how it is caught and habitat concerns.  You can check out the picture and facts here.  Guess it will not be a regular on the menu here.

This weekend Emily and lil Paul will be visiting for the weekend.  We are so excited to have them-can't wait to see Paul and Stella together again.  Stella talks about Paul and Emily pretty much every morning at breakfast.  She will be surprised!

Speaking of talking about people...when Stella sees a picture of herself these days she says it is Luke (referring to her cousin).  She has always had a "thing" for Luke-however, I am not sure I want her to inherit all of Luke's "fine" behaviors or for her to partake in all of his adventures but it is pretty funny to hear her say it!

We started to put in our garden this weekend.  So far the crops planted are basil, rosemary, red and white onions, two varieties of lettuce and some cabbage.  Between the dogs, squirrels, and Stella I am only counting on some vegetables/herbs to produce.

I took my boards last Thursday and passed.  It feels weird not having school/studying on my constant "todo" list.   Finding other things todo is a GREAT problem!  

One thing I did this weekend was build two small open air terrariums for the kitchen.  It has always been something I wanted to make-I need some more supplies, so when they are complete I will post the finished product.  

Here are some other various pictures of Stella and the dogs playing in the backyard today.  

Stella is very insistent on brushing the dogs.  Catch her in action!

 Moxy thinks it is hot (70 degrees) and has already dug out a nice area to lay in the shade.

 Now, sun tanning.

 Avery is always on patrol in the backyard!

 Going down the slide!

 Pointing to the trees, birds and squirrels.

 Blowing bubbles.

Williamsburg/Fort Fun/Bangs

This morning we went to Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William and Mary.  We walked around the area and had lunch/brunch at a local taphouse.  Many of the historic buildings had fires burning out front that made for a nice aroma.  It wasn't busy probably due to the cool weather and going on a Sunday morning.  We didn't buy a tour pass to see all the re-enactments going on at each location(one of theses times we will), but got a pretty good feel for colonial days just being there.  It was a great place for Stella, as the streets were closed so she walked some and got to ride in the stroller some too.

 Getting a ride!

Walking.....

We have been going to this new playground near our house.  It is called Fort Fun.  It is a great playground right on the James River.  Speaking of parks, soooo many great options!  When I say parks, I am not referring to just a piece of playground equipment with some picnic shelters.  These parks all have walking/hiking/biking trails, water associated with them, and not just your run of the mill playground equipment.  We have checked out four of the local parks-less then 10 minutes from our house.  It is very different living in a city that has so much infrastructure.  Yesterday, we actually went to Newport News City park which is about 20 minutes from our house.  In addition to the regular park amenities, as described above it also has a golf course/disc golf and camping.  We took the dogs and did a short hike yesterday afternoon.  Charlie and I were talking yesterday that in order for us to get to something like this in AL it was at least an hour drive and you had to pay each time.  I feel so spoiled living here with all the amenities.

And yes, the bangs...when Stella wakes up from her afternoon nap everyday her bangs are out of control. They look like they might of been crimped and are sticking up beautifully :)

I tried to capture it this afternoon on camera.

Charlie's Home

After a short notice TDY to TX, Charlie made it home yesterday.  We celebrated his Birthday(very belated) last night.  Stella and I made a Boston Cream Pie from this month's Food Network Magazine.  It was quite a bit of work-3 different parts, the cake, the cream filling and the chocolate glaze but worth it. Stella LOVES helping in the kitchen and will go get a chair to pull up to the counter as soon as I say the words cook or bake.   Stella has also learned that she can taste things before I add the egg  to it, so while baking I hear a constant "momma egg?, momma egg?".  Smart girl.  She did have the cream filling up to her elbow at one point when I turned around.  

We also made Pan Fried Crab Cakes from The Best Recipes cookbook.  It was the first time I had attempted those and they turned out nicely.  I served them on a pretzel bun from Trader Joe's.  Finding lump crab this time of year was no small task.  I went to the local fish market close to our house, DeMaria's Seafood.  Just ask Jarad, this was a major accomplishment for me.  I was prepared for much worse but was surprised what I found.  My family knows my aversion to seafood "smells" and multiply that times 10 being pregnant.

Virginia Living Museum

This afternoon Stella and I decided to become members of the Virginia Living Museum.  It is under 10 minutes from our house and seemed liked a good idea.  So if you plan on visiting, most likely this will be one of the stops.  We were there for about an hour and a half and Stella LOVED it.  She walked the entire time and we did not get to see all the exhibits because of nap time.  It will be a great place to go if the weather isn't nice out, but it will also be a nice place to go when the weather is nice.  We stayed inside for the most part today.  She loved the touch tank with all the sea creatures in it.  She got to touch a starfish, horseshoe crab, snail, hermit crab and probably would of stayed the rest of the afternoon pointing at things she wanted to touch.

New House in VA

We took a house hunting trip before Thanksgiving and have a contract on our new home in Newport News, VA. We are set to close on the 10th of January.

The neighborhood is what we love. The water (James River) is at the end of the street. The house is in an eclectic neighborhood and will be a pretty short commute for Charlie to Langley AFB.

You can view the home

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/247-James-River-Dr-Newport-News-VA-

23601/74452114_zpid/

or

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4565625016/a=8371957_8371957/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Santa Fe Trip

We had a great visit in Santa Fe a couple weeks ago. The pictures are from hiking. We all went on a hike together near the Santa Fe Ski Area and then Charlie also hiked the Tent rocks. Stella got a ride up to the top in the pack, but then walked/hiked the entire way down the mountain. She thought it was great! Great time with Mom and Howard!

There are quite a few pictures from this trip, so here are a few, but for the rest check out the snapfish link below...

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4472841016/a=8371957_8371957/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Charlie & Stella's Saturday....