End of Summer

Phew...I can't believe that we have been here five months already. It is hard to believe that summer has ended (though our recent 90 degree temps sure felt like summer). Anyway, August and September are now behind us and we are looking forward to a fun filled fall! Our main events these past two months have been starting school and soccer, though we did make it downtown a couple of times and found a new hiking area nearby.
Home school has been a fairly smooth transition since we set the foundation earlier this summer. We have been reading some classics together and learning so much about geography, history and math. We did get connected with a home school group in the area and have enjoyed some activities with other home school families. I would like to get closer with at least one or two other families to form a little more of a regular support system.
A huge highlight for the boys is playing organized sports for the first time. Soccer has been such a wonderful thing for both boys. Grayson is known as "the stopper" on his team because he is instinctively defensive. Jack is really starting to understand more of the strategy and position play since his team is a little older. Dave and I love watching them play and try not to "coach" too much from the sidelines. It is fun just to cheer on the teams and see all the kids enjoying soccer so much. Now both boys are saying they want to wrestle this winter. The jury is still out on that one.
Our day trips to the district included stops at The National Museum of Natural History and the National Cathedral. We drove into downtown for the first time and enjoyed seeing all the monuments and pieces of history as we navigated the streets of D.C. We got to meet up with our good friend Matt McCauley at the National Cathedral as he was in town for a conference. It was so good to hang out with him and indulge in some certified authentic Italian style pizza at 2 Amy's near the Cathedral. YUMM! Our trip to the Museum of Natural History was preceded by a scouting visit to the Adam's Morgan area of D.C to enjoy some good eats at The Diner. Do you notice a pattern?
We made our first trip to Maryland as a co-worker of Dave's invited us to a 100 day celebration. This is a Burmese tradition in which an infant is officially named and a party is thrown when they are 100 days old. The hospitality and food (once again) was outstanding. We enjoyed the drive to MD and the opportunity to experience another culture's traditions.
Closer to home, we ventured on a couple of hikes at the Bull Run Nature Conservancy and we attended the Micron 12K (wafer output per week) celebration at Marriott Ranch. The boys have so enjoyed our explorations in the nearby forests and hills and we are trying to build up their endurance for our trip to Disney World in November. The Micron party was super kid friendly. Our favorites were the climbing wall, the mechanical bull and pony rides.
Well...we ended September with our first big trip to the beach. An entire week at a beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'll save those pics and details for our next volume.
Thanks for reading. Hope that you are all doing well. Come and see us anytime!