Dancing for Grammy and Papa...

Savannah and Julius put on a little show for Grammy and Papa before we headed out from Virginia Beach on Saturday. Savannah loves to dance and Julius gets right up there with her.
I've got a budding ballerina on my hands!

Thanks from Santa...

Savannah and her Daddy left Santa some of my homemade goodies and a small glass of milk and he left them a quick note scribbled on a napkin.
It's great to see Santa has good manners and knows how to eat and run and still be polite!

Christmas in Virginia Beach...

We traveled down to Virginia Beach Friday to celebrate Christmas with Mom and Dad Fitzgerald. We actually were planning to go down on Thursday, but time got away from us and we didn't get to leave until Christmas Eve. I actually think it was best because the roads weren't as busy Friday morning as I'm sure they were Thursday evening.
We woke up early Christmas morning to Savannah being excited and peeking around the corner to see a Christmas tree and presents underneath it. Poor Julius wasn't quite sure what was going on and he, Daddy and Grammy went back to bed after the big present opening ceremony ended.
The kids got much more than they needed... a problem Santa's helper didn't realize until she saw everything under the tree. Although I consider myself to be a careful shopper, I'm sure there were several things we could have left from under the tree and neither of the kids would have noticed (I actually did keep two of Julius' gifts for his birthday in February).
Here are a few pictures of our big day... and we were able to sneak out of Virginia Beach before the big snow storm that dumped almost a foot of snow overnight.

Merry Christmas from the Fitzgeralds!

This is the cover of some of the Christmas cards we sent out this year. I "cashed" in some of my Pamper points to get Christmas cards printed and only had a select few to sent out.
So I thought the next best thing to do would be to put the card on the blog to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas... I hope you have a great day!

Christmas cards...

I sent out our annual Christmas cards earlier in the month... I know it's an old tradition, but one that I love because it's so personal. I don't care how must technology improves, I can't think of anything better than opening the mailbox and finding a card or letter... it just seems more personal!
Pat got the mail tonight and found a stack of Christmas cards and a package for the kids... there had to be about 10 cards in the mail and it was a pleasure to open every one of them.
I know it might be too late this year, but if you've never sent out Christmas cards than I suggest that you try it next year... you might be surprised what you get back in return.

Mommy-and-Me Day...

Savannah and I had some Mommy-and-Me time yesterday and to see the Nutcracker Suite. This is something I dreamed for years and ever since I went to see my first live performance of the holiday ballet.
This Nutcracker was performed by the local Charlottesville Ballet Company and involved about eight adults and 15 little girls of various ages. There was only one male and he was the Nutcracker, of course.
Savannah was excited from the moment we got to the theater and she made it through the entire hour-long program and only complained about the music getting too loud in the most dramatic parts.
I really think I've found my theater partner in Savannah as she seems to enjoy live performances as much as I do... and I can't wait to take her to plays and other events in the years to come!

Tobogging...

Pat went to town today and brought Savannah back a toboggan (I think he also wanted one for himself)! She had a blast going down the small hill behind our house as I tried to catch her and snap a few photos while doing so.
Pat also got on the plastic contraption and took a few turns down the driveway... and made it back in one piece.

Other photos from the fall...

Here are some other photos of Fitzgerald fun we've had this fall...

Snow Day...

I'm sorry it's taken so long to post on the blog. It's certainly not a lack of desire, but just a lack of time.
We got about three inches of snow today and was able to get out and play a little... here are some of our pictures.

Christmas Card 2010

Holly Jolly Christmas Card

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Heritage Harvest Festival...

In our effort to get the kids out to local events, we took them to the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello this afternoon. This is a festival celebrating local foods and seed saving and we went more to get out and see the sights than to actually learn about seeds (there is no way to keep little folks quiet enough for the free classes).
We had a blast and enjoyed a lot of local foods... tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupes and peppers. We also got to buy a few things like organic lemonade, homemade donuts and homemade organic popsicles.
We also had a nice time enjoying the weather, which has turned cool in the few nights.
This was also the first chance to the kids to ride a bus as we had to park off-site and get bused on to Monticello, home of President Thomas Jefferson.
It was a beautiful day!

Mountainside Petting Farm

We spent our Saturday afternoon at the petting farm and had a blast.
The Mountainside Petting Farm is in Afton, which is about an hour from our house on the other side of Charlottesville.
Savannah has been talking about seeing cows and chickens ever since we went to the Orange County Fair last month so I thought this might be a great place to take the kids.
We drove through Charlottesville and took the highway to the farm, but drove back on Skyline Drive in order to enjoy the scenery and take advantage of our yearly pass.
The petting farm is small, but they have an interesting mixture of animals; including a camel, a pair of peacocks and a pot-bellied pig to go along with their calf, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep and horses.
Here are several pictures from our adventure to the petting zoo... I believe the top one is the best picture I've ever taken of our kids!

Welcome to my blog...

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I haven't participated in the blog hops for a few weeks, but thought I would take some time tonight to link up to a few and meet some new folks.
If you're new to my blog than I want to say hello and hope you find something here that you like and will make you come back for more. If you've been here before than hello again and welcome back.
I'm a wife and stay-at-home Mama and freelance writer who has been working more now that my husband lost his job in a layoff earlier this summer. I know how fortunate we are to have kept ourselves afloat, but understand it's a daily battle to do so.
If any of you out there are going through something similar please drop me a line and share a tip or two... I hope to blog a little more in the days ahead as I've been so busy late to give much attention to the blog.

Not quite off the charts, but close...

Julius had his 18-month check-up yesterday. It was a few weeks late because we had an insurance change due to Pat's job loss.
Julius weighed in at 35.97 lbs. and was 36.5 inches in length... he's in the 97th percentile for weight and height for kids his age. His weight was up a little bit this time for his growth chart while his height stayed about the same pattern as it had last time.
The nurse that saw us told me not to worry because Julius was probably in the middle of a growth spurt and would grow into his weight gain. I can tell he's in a growth spurt now because he's sleeping a lot and is cranky... both signs he's shown during previous growth spurts.
The nurse also tested Julius' hand/eye coordination, his speaking skills and his ability to play... all things they check when they're looking for signs of autism.
I'm happy to say Julius passed all of the test with flying colors and she said he was a very smart little boy and well within his age range.
She was even impressed he's used the potty a few times this week... yes, my 18-month-old will use the potty when his sister won't!

Wordless Wednesday...

Little Man has his 18-month check-up today (a few weeks late due to insurance issues)... will let you know how he measures up (sure he'll be off the charts).

Butterflies...

Pat and I have been enjoying all of the butterflies in the yard these last few weeks and we tried to capture some of them for posterity's sake.
As the weeks go by and summer is fading into black, it's nice to enjoy the beauty of nature.
Here is one of my favorite Robert Frost poems talking about the end of summer and the beginning of fall... I'm already seeing the leaves on some trees have started to change and the temps are cooling down after the sun sets...


Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold,
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.