Stitches and Sweets….was the theme of this year’s fundraising event for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. For the first time in several years, we found a date where all five of us were home. In year’s past, Justin and Emerson have had a softball tournament so the preparation was Avery, Harper, and myself. While much of the advance preparation this year was still just the three of us, Justin was able to help with the set-up and outside much of the time this year, which was nice. Emerson joined too for most the event after the first hour.
For the “stitches”, Harper was a sewing machine (no pun intended) for about a month prior to the event, making stuffed animals, pouches, scrunchies, key chains, an apron, and much more. We thought it be a good way to advertise her products!
For the “sweets”, we made chocolate chip cookies, caramel chip cookies, brownies, and chocolate covered popcorn. It was all so delicious and looked beautiful!
Business was slow and steady. Each year, our number of visitors get smaller and smaller. I truly think everyone is just busy…kids activities are often in full force this time of year!
Yet, while the number of visitors has been reduced, Avery still raised over $1000, $1,295 to be exact.
The day was perfect for a fundraising event….cooler temps than normal for this time of year and a little overcast…perfect for sitting outside for four hours without the chocolate chips melting and ourselves burning.
This year the Brophys and Nidays came. I was so excited to see them that I completely forgot to take a picture.
We had plenty of leftover stitches and sweets. Harper is going to try to start selling some of her items on eBay. And I kept enough sweets for treats for the week, while freezing some for future.
The actual vision walk was Saturday, May 16 at The Navy Yard. Weather was beautiful and for the first time in YEARS, we didn’t have injuries in the family that prevented us from doing the actual walk. Not only did Avery, Justin, Harper, and I do the walk, but we were one of the first to finish the 2-mile walk.
The trip to get downtown and the parking could not have been easier. We parked in a lot right next to the waterfront, not reserving a spot in advance, and only paying $10 for parking.
Avery got recognized for raising over $1,000, though it took a little reminder from Mom to have her name called as they forgot for a second year in a row. As Avery said, she raises money for the cause, not for the recognition.
It was on the forefront of my mind this morning how different preparing for the actual event was for today compared to when the girls were little. When the girls were little, getting out of the house by 9:00 on a weekend looked so different….I wasn’t just getting myself ready, but I was getting three little girls up, fed, dressed, etc. This morning I was up early, worked out for myself, and then had a leisurely hour of drinking coffee and making my own breakfast and talking to the girls in the kitchen as they each made their own breakfast. And the walk itself took way longer with little feet and legs. With that being said, I am pretty sure the walk used to be three miles versus two miles, but even so walking with little kids is a lot different than walking with teens who are used to going on walks.
This year’s walk raised more money than it has in years past. Go FFB and Team Maddy!
London…. another family spring break trip in the books! I had been thinking about London for Spring Break since last year but kept it on the down low for quite some time, since I wasn’t sure if we would be able to pull it off. We DID!
Once we committed, the girls had a letter board with the official daily countdown of days to London! The girls adore their cousins, and their cousins adore them!
Monday, March 30
We took an overnight flight on Virgin Atlantic arriving in London just before lunch time, local time. We knew we would be tired, so we planned for a chill day hanging around “home”, grabbing lunch at Café 66, unpacking, and grocery shopping in town. Gabriel made turkey meatballs for dinner, so we didn’t have to go out and it was the perfect start to our time in London.
Tuesday, March 31
After a chill day in Barnes, we decided this would be our “big” day in London. We had a leisurely morning at home eating breakfast and hanging out. As much as I wanted to get an early start on the day, I knew sleep was important…and we all needed it, especially the girls and Justin since none of them slept on the plane the prior night.
It was late morning by the time we boarded the Tube to Waterloo and then walked to The Tate Modern. My sister and the boys joined us for the day so the 25-minute walk from Waterloo to the museum took us close to an hour! We explored and while Justin could have spent all day at The Tate, he had to settle for just over an hour because the kids’ bellies were getting hungry! Noah suggested Honest Burger and since there was one near Borough Market, our next stop, everyone was agreeable. Burgers and fries were delicious!
We explored Borough Market buying some wooden cooking utensils and salami for later in the week. We also bought several cookies and brownies from different vendors so we could determine which one was better. That cookie became the first of many during the week. And Ice Cream!!!
The boys had had enough so they departed home with Lauren after Borough Market, while Justin, the girls and I walked back to Waterloo along the river taking in views of Big Ben from afar.
For dinner, we defrosted bolognaise for the kids and ordered pizza for adults, though there was sharing of both.
Wednesday, April 1
A few months prior to our departure, I had contemplated the idea of going to Paris for a quick 36 hours. Had we done so, April 1 would have been the day. As the London trip approached, the planning to Paris because expensive and stressful to the point that I realized it wasn’t worth going to Paris this time. Lauren and I decided a day trip within London would be better. She suggested Cambridge, about a two-hour tube and train ride.
I carried around my printed 20-page printed itinerary, which both Lauren and Justin found comical. Lauren took the boys to see her office (she works in Cambridge) while Justin, the girls, and I headed into town. First stop was Downing College.
Followed by Emmanuel College.
The grounds were beautiful and reminded us very much of the campus of William and Mary.
After reuniting with Lauren and the boys, we walked by Christ College, followed by Wren Library. We are familiar with the Wren Chapel at William and Mary so being in the Wren Library in Cambridge was a special experience.
Lunch time was next, and I utterly failed on the lunch choice selection. I picked a pub that was written up on a few blogs without thoroughly reading the reviews. The service and food sucked. It may have been the worst salad I have ever had in my life.
We debated going somewhere else before we were going to order, but I got vetoed.
After lunch, we went on a punting tour!
The eight of us squeezed into a boat and had a good time.
The highlight…when Noah looked down and informed Avery that she had been pooped on!
After punting, we headed for Jack’s Gelato…highly rated and it lived up to expectations.
We also sampled Ben’s cookies…twice….the first cookie was pretty good so when we passed by Ben’s cookies later in the day, I popped in for a second cookie for us all to share!
After spending the entire day out, it was great to come home to Gabriel’s homecooked meal of chicken fajitas.
Thursday, April 2
The boys went to camp late morning this day so after another leisurely morning, we ventured to Regents Park. We decided to take an Uber, turns out the Uber had an issue of some sort and the gas/exhaust was just funneling back into the car. It got pretty bad, so we ended up getting out of the Uber early leaving us with a 30 minute walk.
We slowly explored the park.
Followed by lunch in Primrose Hill on a beautiful sunny day.
A little exploring the town including a stop by the Paddington Bear rowhome and Primrose Bakery.
We took a different route back and walked through Camden Market. It was cute and pretty at first but quickly turned into an overpopulated alternative tourist trap and everyone couldn’t wait to get out!
Thursday evening all nine of us went to eat at the local pub Whiteheart. Food was ok at best, but it was nice to all go out together.
Friday, April 3
We originally thought about taking a second day trip this day, but the girls weren’t interested in getting up super early or being away from their cousins. So we opted to go to Richmond and Kew Gardens, a short bus ride from my sister’s place. Noah and Elias joined us. First stop was Richmond. We moved slowly and explored very little as Noah was missing his mom.
There were a few good lunch options but none that could seat seven of us; we ended up at Wagamama, an Asian chain that Noah really wanted to eat at. While Justin and I really didn’t want to eat there, it turned out to be a great spot…something for everyone, not busy, and reasonably priced. The boys loved it; Elias sat next to me quietly and slowly eating everything on his plate!
A tour through a town would never be complete without finding a bakery. My sister wanted a bread from Ole & Steen, so we decided to sample several treats from there. The cookies were amazing; soft and chewy…almost undercooked…pure deliciousness!
Next, we headed to Kew Gardens, and my sister met us at the entrance. We explored the gardens for a few hours. Kew Gardens is huge, and we could probably have spent all day there and still not have seen everything!
Friday night, the kids stayed home with the boys while the four adults went to dinner. We went to a local restaurant Watermans. I was a little fearful it was going to be your traditional pub food; it did not disappoint…we shared a bunch of dishes, and it was all amazing.
Saturday, April 4
Justin and I snuck away this morning for a walk. In fact, we did this a few other mornings as well. Most of our days in London we had over 20,000 steps!
After our walk, we headed to the Farmers Market in Barnes. While I have been to the market, several other times, I generally don’t buy much as I don’t have a need for it. But this day was different! Our British friends, The Bakers, who lived on Cedar Pond for three years, moved back to London last year and we connected with them. They were going to come to my sister’s later that day….I had every reason to buy hummus, red pepper dip, artichokes, focaccia, cheeses, olives, salami, crackers, and cakes!
The Bakers came over around 2:00 and we headed to the river to watch the Cambridge/Oxford boat race. The boys were kind of shy at first but by the time they got to my sister’s house after the race, they were all playing together and having a great time.
It was great catching up with the Bakers. They stayed until after 8:00 and I think a good time was had by all.
I regret not taking a picture of the charcuterie board especially the cheese with the purple flowers…not only was it beautiful but it was SO delicious!!
Sunday, April 5
Easter!
The Easter Bunny came!
There was an Easter Egg Hunt, on a much smaller scale than at home.
We spent a sunny afternoon at the park. Noah, the girls, Lauren, and Justin played soccer! Emerson took some BP!
Elias played in the field.
I walked.
Gabriel cooked pulled pork while we were out.
In the late afternoon, Lauren and Gabriel’s friends (two families) came over.
The kids all had fun playing together.
Hugo took a special liking to Harper; they put on a magic show together.
Monday, April 6
Departure day. Always good to get home, but always sad to leave a trip, especially one that we had been looking forward to for some time.
The original plans for Monday morning were to see Ludmila. But she wasn’t feeling well and canceled so we had extra time in the morning for one last excursion since our flight didn’t leave until 5:00 p.m. local time.
We didn’t want to go too far from home, so we opted to go to Richmond one more time. I felt there was more to see. It was a sunny day; we made our way towards the green area.
For lunch, we ate at Bills. Kids ate free and it was overall pretty enjoyable, nothing gourmet, but enjoyable.
Upon going back to Lauren’s house, we finished packing up and said our goodbyes before the Uber picked us up.
With the time change, we arrived home about 9:00 p.m. The girls weren’t excited about going to school the next day. They had a great time and probably would have liked to stay another week!
Will this trip become a bi-annual trip? I guess only time will tell!
It was a long cold winter. A snow and ice storm mid-January had schools closed and activities cancelled for over a week. With the snow and ice lingering for weeks due to the frigid temperatures, some activities (i.e., soccer) continued to be cancelled for three weeks and schools were on a two-hour delay for several weeks.
The weekend of the snowstorm we were prepared, along with the much of the rest of the country! I had been to the grocery store daily for four days straight stocking up so that not only we had food, but we had ingredients to make delicious meals.
Baked meatballs with ricotta and homemade rustic bread, chicken tacos, pesto mozzarella pizza, French toast and sausage, chocolate chip cookies, chicken quesadillas…all homemade and all delicious….we took advantage of the extra time and spent much of it together in the kitchen.
The weekend of the actual snow, it started snowing around 2:00 am Sunday morning. The snow turned into freezing sleet around 10:00 am. Shortly thereafter, Justin made his first round outside with the snow blower to clear the driveway. I was inside getting ready to make myself banana pancakes after making sausage for the girls. Emerson went downstairs to get a carton of eggs and came upstairs telling me that it smelled like gas. I had been down there just an hour earlier on the treadmill and had not smelled anything, but when I went to check it out, I indeed smelled the same thing she did. I interrupted Justin’s snow blowing to have him check it out. He did but couldn’t smell it since he was already taking in the gas fumes from the snow blower. We waivered back and forth…should we call 911 or not. We really didn’t think it was anything serious BUT it also wasn’t worth taking the risk. He finally called. Avery had the flu and was still sleeping. I woke her up and she quickly threw on some comfy clothes and made her way downstairs….we were going to meet up with Harper and Emerson who were already next door at the McAllister’s. Meanwhile, my banana pancakes weren’t going to happen, but I needed my protein and a good start to the day. I pivoted and made myself a Greek yogurt parfait topped with fruit and granola to go. Justin told me while he appreciated my calmness, he didn’t appreciate my lack of urgency. While I prided myself on my parfait pivot, he condemned my sense of urgency, believing the parfait pivot was non-essential. We are on the same page now and I told him I will next time couple my calmness with a sense of urgency!
As it turns out, it was nothing. The fumes from the snowblower likely somehow seeped into the basement. At least four Fairfax County firetrucks showed up in storm. Some of the fireman borrowed sleds from the kids on Hillington and took turns sliding down the steep hill.
Emerson and Harper played with the McAllister kids all day Sunday and Emerson much of the day Monday. They sled, played inside, and enjoyed making smores.
Harper developed a cough Sunday, and I was sure she had the flu too; ironically, she tested positive for COVID.
I was actually not mad that school was cancelled for the snow, since Avery and Harper would have missed school anyway.
When school is in session (four days a week if we are lucky!), the girls are busy doing their homework most days. Emerson plops herself on the right side of the island. She grabs the paper towel holder to use as her phone stand so she can watch shows as she does her homework.
Harper plops herself at the dining table and often listens to music in the background. Both Emerson and Harper are conditioned to start their homework as soon as they get home from school.
Avery likes to decompress in her room and homework is done at random times in random places.
This past week we were teased with some warmer temperatures. And while I don’t love the ending to this post, my creativity juices have clearly been lacking this winter, so we will end it here and hope the warmer weather gets those juices overflowing.
Our house decorated for Christmas and Hannukah brings a peacefulness and a sense of pride. We waited years for our renovation and “real” furniture. Scanning the room and seeing catalog worthy adult furniture exuberates gratitude.
Hannukah started the Sunday we unexpectedly stayed in New York an extra night. Nights two through seven we celebrated at home by lighting the menorah. Despite the girls’ activities, we always found a time to light the candles, even if very late in the evening. The last night of Hannukah we celebrated at my parents’ house with latkes, sou-vide chicken, green beans, and chocolate mousse cake.
The girls had a marathon baking day with Ms. Pat and made a variety of cookies that we all enjoyed for days!
Karolin came a few days before Christmas.
Christmas Eve somehow became a little chaotic and instead of stressing, we took it all in stride, but that meant that we chose to not go to church. We took our time and took pictures by the fireplace.
Followed by a stroll through the neighborhood to see the luminaries.
Dinner was at PF Chang’s, an annual favorite.
While I was grateful we didn’t rush to church, I was a little sad we didn’t make it because we missed out on the reinforcement of the meaning of Christmas. We’ll come up with a better plan for next year!
The morning didn’t start as early as some years. Emerson wanted to sleep in; Avery and Harper wanted to start early; we settled on 8:30.
We saw what Santa brough first…a lot of shared home gifts this year. He wrote the girls a letter about how wonderful it had been to witness the girls come together and be present.
Stocking time!
Followed by a delicious breakfast. Avery made her delicious cinnamon rolls and Harper made citrus scones. We also had bacon, sausage, fruit, and eggs!
We spent a lazy morning after breakfast drinking coffee (me and Justin anyway) and opening presents.
My parents came over in the evening for a delicious Christmas dinner of brisket.
Screenshot
The following day it was almost as though there was no evidence that Christmas or Hannukah had even existed! We started putting gifts away and taking decorations down and within days, it was all behind us.
We spent an afternoon going to Gravelly Park to watch planes take off from Raegan Airport followed by a stop at the Torpedo Factory and then dinner out at Bear Branch Tavern.
Karolin left a few days later. It was great to have her spend the holiday with us.
New Year’s Eve we stayed home. We all cooked a yummy pasta and turkey dinner. Justin went to bed at 10:00, probably the first time he hasn’t stayed up until midnight on New Year’s Eve in at least 30 years. The girls and I completed our packing for Pittsburgh, where we were headed the next morning, turned on Ryan Seacrest’s New Year’s Eve Show and toasted with cider. It was fabulous to stay home!
New Year’s Day we packed the car and headed to Pittsburgh for two nights, our first time staying in our place. It was also the first time the girls saw it. There was a combination of snow, ice, and slush on the sidewalks, so we didn’t walk as much as we wanted. That combined with most shops and restaurants being closed on New Year’s Day allowed us to have some leisurely time at home. We took advantage and did some house maintenance and deep cleaning.
We had some good eats: Driftwood Oven, The Pitch on Butler, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, Enrico Biscotti, Café Moulin, Peace Love & Little Donuts
Next time we want to try: Papa J’s for pizza in the Strip District, Frio Ice Cream on Butler, and Baby Loves Tacos in Bloomfield
We also had a fun pasta night at home. We used pasta and sauce that we bought from Penn Macaroni Company. Next time, we go to Pittsburgh we decided we would plan our meals more in advance so that on nights that we planned to cook at home, we could buy items directly from the cheese shops, sausage shops, seafood market, bakeries, etc.
We all enjoyed our time together and look forward to doing it as much as we can.
We came home Saturday so that we had a day to get ready for school and work. Sunday night was rough…school seemed to be the enemy. We got through the week though and its already mid-January and for the first time in my life, I think I have accurately written 2026 every time I have had to write the year so far.
The Rockettes…a bucket list item for Avery. She’d been asking to go the last few years…Justin and I decided THIS was the year! I bought tickets through the accessibility service and was able to not only save by avoiding all services fees, but I was also able to get seats somewhat closeup with nobody in front of us.
Two tickets to the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! It would be the big Hannukah present to Avery! I had the tickets for a few weeks awaiting the right time to share the surprise. During this time, Harper’s basketball schedule came out and she had a buy the weekend of December 14, the weekend of the show! The plan and surprise began to evolve. We would all go to NY as a family and while Avery and I watched the Rockettes on stage, Justin would go ice skating in Rockefeller Center with Emerson and Harper, their big Hannukah present.
Thanksgiving was approaching and the timing felt right to finally share the surprise and their early Hannukah gifts. Avery couldn’t believe it…her dream was coming true. The girls were all thrilled until we told them we would be shacking up in a one bed hotel room in NY. Honestly it could have been amazing, but the girls preferred to spend the weekend outside the city staying with Mary and Russell. They preferred family time over more time exploring the city.
As the weekend of our upcoming departure approached, Justin began to experience flu like symptoms. Saturday morning arrived and we left him at home. With a negative result for the flu and covid, he was going to grace us with his presence. He was miserable though and I told him to go back to bed…he would be doing none of us a favor by coming in his miserableness.
We packed the Pilot, Emerson especially was a huge help with that, and we drove off. She sat shotgun and was my navigator, assisting me mostly with lane changes. We arrived at Mary and Russell’s after a relatively traffic free trip and a quick stop in the bustling Montclair to scarf down some gyros in a parking lot before pulling into Mary and Russell’s driveway.
I honestly had no plan other than exploring some Christmas sights prior to our 5:00 dinner reservation with the entire Friedman clan. Russell drove us into the city, and we followed Mary as she showed us sights she thought we may like. Caroline caught up with us at the New York Public Library.
Bryant Park Christmas market was even more crowded than I could have ever imagined. Surprisingly it was more artisanal than Christmassy in terms of the merchandise itself, and after we got through the market shoulder to shoulder, we were glad to be out of the chaos.
We stopped by the windows of Sachs Fifth Avenue.
And one of the many decorated Christmas trees
We ate at Joe Allen Restaurant…family time was good…food was good, not spectacular, but good.
Afterwards, we stopped at Schmackary’s, a cookie shop and I ordered four cookies and the girls and I sampled all of them!
On the ride home, Mary wanted Russell to take the long way through the city so we could explore more from our windows. Russell wasn’t as thrilled about the idea and there was banter back and forth. Meanwhile, the car started sounding funny…not the biggest concern at first but every few streets and lights (we hit every single one), the sound would intensify. By the time we made it uptown (again went all the way uptown instead of taking a quicker way home), Russell was pissed (as he had the car checked out twice in the past two weeks and his guy Kenny had assured him all was good). Let me tell you, all was not good. The car started to have a burning smell; Russell and Mary thought it was the transmission. As we approached the bridge, Emerson and Harper were sleeping in the backseat while Avery was panicking in the middle row next to me. I think all the adults held our breath as the car made its way over the bridge. Slowly but surely, we crossed the bridge and minutes later the engine light came on and the car stopped accelerating. Mary and Russell were frantically calm if that is even a thing….and somehow maneuvered off the highway to an unknown exit with shops and a parking lot. As the car made its way into the parking lot, it literally stopped…it was leaking fluid and burning. Emerson and Harper awoke to Mary saying “get out of the car”. They could smell the burning and popped out of their seats with their belongings and couldn’t believe they had slept through the debacle. The man in the car behind us got out of his car to push the car with Russell while Mary steered into a parking spot, and I took the girls into Shake Shack to go to the bathroom and decompress.
An Uber picked us ladies up while Russell awaited the toe truck with Michael. Michael and Brenna live close to where we broke down, so Michael came to help Russell.
As we arrived home, snow started falling…fairly quickly which was interesting considering the forecast said that the total snowfall would be less than half an inch. About an hour later, Russell, Michael, and the tow truck arrived. As we waited for them, Mary had taken out snacks including some caramel covered popcorn and us girls enjoyed the coziness and craziness of the night.
We awoke Sunday morning to close to five inches of snow…so much for a half inch. Russell aborted the mission to get bagels and shoveled instead. We also had to change our plans of how we were getting into the city…Russell was going to drive us originally; however, he didn’t feel comfortable driving my car, which was unfamiliar to him, in the snow. I ordered an Uber. When it was five minutes after our Uber was supposed to have arrived, and it hadn’t yet, I realized the Uber driver had cancelled. I tried to get another Uber and realized it wasn’t going to be easy due to the snow. I was starting to think we might miss the Rockettes…the whole reason for the trip. By the grace of God, an Uber accepted and slowly but surely made its way. We arrived in the city 15 minutes before the show was about to start…just in enough time to snap a few pictures in front of Radio City Music Hall, meet Caroline (who was now going ice skating instead of Justin) and go to the bathroom. At 11:57 Avery and I sat in our seats, took a sigh of relief breath, and waited for the show to begin.
The SHOW…was truly sensational. It was even better than I expected. The dancers, the venue, the lights…ALL of it….WAS spectacular and I pinched Avery numerous times during the show to remind ourselves it was real.
Santa graced us with his presence literally right in front of our seats.
Meanwhile, Emerson, Harper, and Caroline were skating in the frigid temperatures at Rockefeller Center.
We met up after the show and indulged in slices of NY pie.
As we ate, I contemplated what to do…we were supposed to head out of the city and home that night, BUT with the snow, the early sunset, and flurries and icy conditions along the way home to Virginia, we decided to stay an extra night at Mary and Russell’s. The girls were ecstatic. I was glad to not have to drive home in the dark, but I wasn’t thrilled about the girls missing a portion of school the next day. It had snowed in Virginia that day too, not nearly as much, but enough to create icy neighborhood road with the below freezing temperatures. I was certain the girls would have a delay, which meant if we left early the next morning, they wouldn’t miss that much school. Against all odds, school was not delayed.
Since we didn’t have to rush on the road that evening, we enjoyed a little more time in the city, circling the same blocks over and over….sampling some more cookies and ice cream and coffee.
We took an Uber home, for the price of $225! Yes, crazy. We arrived to a homecooked meal of mac and cheese, salad, and green beans. We enjoyed the evening with Mary and Russell and while the whole weekend was filled with challenges, it made it that much more special and memorable. I can’t imagine any of us will ever forget this trip.
Having the trip with a week before Christmas break started, helped get the girls through three full weeks of school in December. While we missed Justin, nobody wanted to be around his germs or his miserableness. And without him, the girls and I turned the weekend into a girl’s weekend, one where they were looking out for one another.
A truly spectacular Rockette’s show and NY weekend!
Harper created the Thanksgiving Grateful Jar four Thanksgivings ago and it’s become an annual tradition. Once the jar is filled up, each person takes turns reading a handful of the jar’s contents. I find myself oohing and awwing or saying “that’s a good one”, or “I should have written that” with each saying. From friends, family, money, to farting, chipotle, water, sleep away camp, dutch braids, sweatpants, and much more. We are thankful for the “obvious” ones but thankful for the small mundane things as well…which truly are the big and beautiful things. I love this tradition….such a great reminder of life’s beautiful blessings.
Food was delicious, plentiful, yet fairly simple.
Matchy matchy this year! Not planned, we just all love brown!!
The mission…four hours of shopping at the outlets hitting up at least 20 stores!
My normal clothes shopping is typically from my phone and only visiting stores for the returns, so the girls were both shocked and ecstatic when I told them mid-week that we would be having a girl’s day at the Leesburg outlets on Saturday…and specifically what my mission was!
Mission was accomplished….we visited at least 20 stores, not missing a single one that we wanted to go to.
Emerson’s opinion…she made out the best, Harper fairly well and while Avery didn’t get as much stuff, she did get the few items she wanted. Apparently, I made out decently as well!
We ended the evening with dinner at Sweetwater followed by fro-yo at Sweet Frog making it just before the store’s closing.
Justin played golf in the morning and then had the afternoon to himself. The girls were all smiles and laughs as they retold him the events of the afternoon and displayed all the purchases.
Seventh and ninth grade and still going…maybe not as strong, but still going.
Costumes were all free this year…as in I didn’t order any!
Avery recycled dance costumes and turned it into Cinderella.
Emerson and Harper recycled last year’s costumes and wore onesies.
Avery’s best friend Emily came over and the two of them went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Harper’s friend Amelia came over and they did the same.
Emerson went to Marina’s neighborhood to trick-or-treat.
An abundance of candy was received…Avery and Harper received more than 15 full size candy bars each!
The girls are clearly not the young little ones anymore, but they are still out there!
Purchasing and returning a dozen Windsor dresses to get to the ultimate winners.
The Pre-dance Activities
Emerson went with a large group, taking pictures at Marina’s house followed by Chipolte catering.
Avery went with a small group, taking pictures at Emily’s house followed by Pazzo Pamodoro take-out.
Emerson’s group enjoyed the dance for a little over an hour while Avery’s group closed down the place.
Since their getting ready at home didn’t overlap, they obliged my request to take a picture together at the dance making a mama heart smile. My girls looking so grown up at their first HOCO!
10 years…that is how long Michael and Brenna dated before getting hitched!
Michael had his “dream wedding” according to Caroline.
It started with welcome drinks and apps Thursday night.
Saturday afternoon’s ceremony was a full mass.
Introducing Michael and Brenna Friedman!
There was time between the ceremony and the reception so some family pictures were in order.
The gardens at Hamilton Farm Golf Club were gorgeous. It was the most beautiful setting with an open bar, a seafood station of lobster rolls, shrimp, oysters, and muscles, a charcuterie station, as well as passed hor de oeuvres. It was spacious and watching people spread out enjoying the food, drinks, conversation, and gardens was true perfection.
We ate more…the most delicious burrata with prosciutto and arugula first course followed by a second course of sea bass or NY strip. I ordered the sea bass, but also tasted the NY Strip that Avery and Harper ordered as it was huge, and they were full as their first course was a massive plate of chicken tenders and fries. They literally were served two huge meals!
We talked…..with family, extended family, and neighbors.
We had the most fun at the photo booth and since it was located near our table, took a ton of photos.
We danced!
While no Biggie Smalls played, Justin and I still pulled out our college dance moves and apparently it was those dance moves of ours that Caroline remembers so vividly about our wedding, which she claims was the most amazing wedding ever! I don’t disagree!
While we missed the cake cutting (they must have done it quietly so as not to interrupt the dancing), the cake! The cake was the moistest delicious almond cake with vanilla buttercream and berry center. It was so delicious that I had a second piece and maybe a little bit of a third. SO good.
When the wedding was over, a candy truck was waiting outside!
Such a fun idea!
The bus ride home was rowdier than the way there, but calmer and quieter than I would have expected for a bunch of late twenty-year-old’s.
The after party continued well into the morning at the hotel; however, Justin and I opted to stay in our hotel rooms with the girls and get a decent night’s sleep.
It’s now been a few days since the wedding and I’m still on a high. It was fabulous, fantastic, fun, family and friend filled…truly perfection in every way! This is going to be a wedding that warms our hearts for a long time.
