PE class at nZone

It's about a 30-minute drive from our house; the kids go to a PE class twice a week at nZone in Chantilly. This is the main hallway towards the fields and workout facilities. The kids all love to look at all the stuff in the vending machines and

The kids do their own dioramas and stories

When I was in the 6th grade, I remember making a diorama in a shoebox, with an ocean scene and tissue paper over the top, just like Savannah's. So I had the kids do their own dioramas and stories to go along with their creative scenes. Savannah'

Homeschool Valentine's Day Party

I am a part of a homeschool email group that is made up of local homeschoolers and they have two parties a year, for Valentine's Day and Halloween. They reserve a room at a local library and bring decorations and everyone brings food and drinks and games and

Historical Fairfax Courthouse Mock Trial

At the center of Fairfax, VA is a historic courthouse, built in 1799.  The first confederate soldier death during the Civil War took place there.  We have gone several times, but had never been able to go inside. This weekend Fairfax hosted the 'Chocolate Lover's Festival'

Snow Day

We woke up to a beautiful snow filled yard.

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Race

Each year, the Cub Scouts have a Pinewood Derby race.  Tucker designed and made his own car and competed.  Carson and Savannah also made their own cars for fun. Tucker received a certificate for the 'Sleekest Car' '

Presidential Inauguration 2017

I do not like crowds -- the thought of packing into an area with a million people just sounds awful.  Despite the anxiety, the night before the Inauguration, Tucker and I decided to go.  It was less about supporting the new president than it was about being at such a

Mulching the Trails at Hidden Oak Park

The kids and I went to Hidden Oak Nature Park to look at the animals.  While there, we asked if they needed help with anything (Carson needs to do community service for a merit badge).  They said that the trails needed some mulch put on them to slow the erosion.

Snow Day!!!

Finally, a snow day!  The kids had a blast playing in the snow.  It wasn't a lot of snow, but enough to spend hours having fun. Yes, Tucker decided it would be fun to stick his head in a pile of snow.

Public Hearing for the Virginia General Assembly

As part of Carson's Citizenship in the Community merit badge, we went to the Fairfax County Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly Public Hearing.  Yes it is a very long name for a very long meeting.  The agenda was 20+ pages long.  We staying for quite a while

Fairfax Museum

Carson has a merit badge class on Monday; it's for the Citizenship in the Community badge. I decided what better way to prepare for a community presentation than to walk through the local Fairfax Museum. This building was originally Fairfax Elementary School, back in the late 1800s. The

Planetarium and Smithsonian Castle

We ventured into DC a couple of days ago to go see a movie at the Planetarium at the Air and Space Museum. It was AWESOME.  It was called "Dark Universe". We will go back again to see the other movie they have there: "Journey to the

Washington DC Temple Christmas Lights

We went to the Washington DC Temple on Christmas Eve and expected it to be pretty empty. There were actually lots of people and cars there to see the lights display, and also walk through the Visitor's Center to look at the nativities and other items from around

American Girl

Savannah received a gift card to American Girl for Christmas this year.  She was so anxious to go to the store, so we went the next day.  She loved walking around and looking at each doll and their accessories.  The store spans two floors of the mall!  So she had

Company Holiday Party

This year is the first time that the company that I have worked for has invited the entire family for the Christmas party. They had two parties (in the same hotel).  The kids had their very own party with dinner, face-painting, a magician, Santa, balloon tying, cookie decorating, and individual

Christmas Tradition Opening Presents

We have continued our tradition of distributing the presents for the kids throughout the month of December.  Then on Christmas day, there is one gift under the tree that says: To: Everyone From: Heavenly Father Inside are pictures of Jesus. This leads us into a discussion as a family about

School Room

savannah

Our Little Angel

The children in our church are acting out the Nativity.  Here's Savannah at the practice:

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Fairfax, VA

Shorty after moving to the DC area, we learned that there are actually two Smithsonian Air and Space Museums.  One in DC and one in Fairfax, VA. On Saturday, we went to the Virginia one.  It was impressive!  They had hands on science displays and many of the most significant

Fairfax County Geocaching Scavenger Hunt

Fairfax County plans so many fun family activities.  On Saturday, they hosted the Geocaching Scavenger Hunt at Burke Lake.  It was our first time geocaching, so it took us a little while to figure it out, but it was great exercise in a beautiful setting. In the end, if you

A Knight Style Thanksgiving

When all over your family lives thousands of miles away, Thanksgiving can be a little different.  Instead of a large family gathering, we made our own traditional Thanksgiving dinner, complete with homemade pumpkin and apple pies. Then we went to a walk / bicycle ride and played in the yard with

Rock and Mineral Show at George Mason University

The kids and Keith went to the Rock and Mineral show in Atlanta each year, so when we moved to Virginia, we looked for one here.  George Mason University hosted this show; it was quite a bit smaller, but the kids still had a good time.

Daytrip to DC and Smithsonian

The trains have been under construction for a while, and they will again in December, so we went into DC on Tuesday. That is the White House and the area in front of it is all blocked off as they are building the inauguration platforms and stages. This is across

Frying Pan Farm Park Junior Farmer Classes: Farm Chores and Games, Making Food for Turkeys

This junior farmer class was about farm chores. The kids played a relay game with the wash bucket and a water pump. They had to pump water into a little bucket and carry it over to another bucket to fill it up. Then the kids learned how laundry was done

A Day in the Life of a Fairfax Family

We are finally all healthy!  So to celebrate, we had an adventure packed day around the house and visiting the Hidden Pond Nature Center, where Tucker was attending a friends birthday party. Savannah learned to ride the motorcycle on the dirt trails behind our home. We tried out the new