U.S. Botanical Gardens Holiday Magic

On December 12, we went downtown to the U.S. Botanical Gardens to check out their Holiday Magic display which includes replicas of major Washington, DC monuments and a magical train display weaving in and around miniature recreations of fairy tale homes like where the 7 dwarfs live. It was beautiful and definitely a must do if you are in the DC area for the holidays!

Noah with Mike and me in front of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument . . .



The White House including the latest Obama additions - the girls' swingset and the First Lady's vegetable garden . . .


The 7 Dwarfs (from Snow White) house by the train tracks . . .

Jayden's 4th Birthday

For Jayden's 4th Birthday on December 12, we went to Jammin' Java, a music club/cafe in Vienna, VA to watch Agent 23 Skidoo who sings positive hip hop for kids. Noah has been dancing lately, but he was a little shy at the show. It was great fun for all! Definitely recommend it if you are looking for birthday party ideas.

Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA . . .
Noah and Mommy . . .

Agent 23 Skidoo singing songs like "I Like Fruit!" . . .

Kids having fun on the dance floor . . .

Jayden's Birthday Cake . . .

Blowing out his candles . . .
Noah making his stage debut . . .

First Snow of the Season

Some pics of Noah and Shea from Saturday's first snowfall of the season.

November/December Update . . .

So much going on, so much to share, and so little time to blog. We spent Thanksgiving at Jason and April’s new condo with her family and Mike’s family. We had a feast! And Mike made a very tasty Sweet Potato and Banana Puree topped with Pecan Crumb Topping. Noah loved every bite! His favorite was stuffing!

The spread for 11 adults and 3 kids (and this didn't include the desserts!) . . .

The Munoz and Balagot clans . . .

QT with my boys . . .

Noah and Mike enjoying some wine and cheese . . .

The day after Thanksgiving was Mike’s Mom’s Birthday so we went to Woo Lae Oak in Tysons Corner for dinner to celebrate. We arrived early and decided to stop by the mall to check out the sales. As a parent, this quickly became my worst nightmare! We didn’t have Noah’s stroller so we carried him around but since the mall was SO crowded I didn’t want to put him down for a second should he run off or be grabbed by someone in the hordes of shoppers! Anyway, after fighting our way out of the parking lot and arriving at the restaurant, we had a wonderful Korean BBQ dinner and Noah again LOVED everything. On Saturday, we hit up Ticonderoga Farms to pick our Christmas tree and this year, Mike and his dad cut it down! It was a little muddy from all the recent rain but luckily we found a nice Scottish Pine not too far from the path.

We found it! . . .

Finally cut down - Good job, Mike! . . .

Ready to bring our tree home . . .

Noah with Lola . . .

Three generations . . .

On Wednesday, we went to the Smith Center to watch GW vs. Mason Men’s Basketball with RJ and Patrick. GW crushed Mason and Noah had a great time although it was a LONG night for him. He even got to meet Big George!

Noah in his GW colors . . .

Go GW! . . .

Final Score - 66-49 . . .

On Thursday, Mike baked some yummy Cherry, Macadamia, White Chocolate Christmas Cookies. They were SO good. Saturday, after being snowed in all day, Randy and Daphne came by to hang out before hitting up the outlets on Sunday. Noah was surprised and I think a little freaked out by the snow. We ended the weekend by FINALLY decorating the Christmas tree. With the Winter Wonderland as our backdrop, it is DEFINITELY starting to feel like Christmas around here. I can’t wait!

Happy Holidays!

It's been a busy November. Last weekend we had our Annual Holiday Wine and Cheese Party. It was a little early this year because the big Pacquaio/Cotto fight was on November 14. The party was quaint but fun. We had a ton of food and cheese and wine, but we had a problem with our cable at the last minute so unfortunately I was on the phone with Verizon for most of the night. At around 10:30 we finally gave up on the cable, grabbed some desserts and wine and watched the fight over at Mae and Dennis's place. It was a great fight and I had a great time catching up with everyone. However, unfortunately, since I was distracted most of the night I didn't get a chance to take any pictures :(

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup water
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing, combine sugar, oil and eggs; beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and clove.
3. In medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and blend just until all ingredients are mixed. Divide batter between prepared pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour.

My thoughts: Great seasonal bread. Made it for Noah's Halloween party. Very easy.

Marine Corps Marathon

Last weekend we headed downtown to check out the Marine Corps Marathon and take some pics around downtown . . .