Grandma and Grandpa Stott come to visit

My mom and dad, aka grandma and grandpa Stott, came to visit the beginning of October and we spent a very enjoyable week with them. It's hard living so far from them and we are grateful they take the time to come and visit us every year. The kids loved having the extra attention and playtime with their grandparents and I loved having the extra help! My mom and dad are always so generous and helpful when they come and we just enjoy having them around.

My parents brought highly anticipated PowerRanger and Transformer costumes with them along with a couple of new books. They know my boys well. It was a common scene the week of their visit to see one or both of my parents reading to the boys adorned in their costumes for the upteenth time.



An attractive couple. I've got good genes!



While grandma and grandpa Stott were here we celebrated Eden's 1st birthday. We took the kids to Cox Farms for the day and had a grand time. It seems that pumpkin patches are a bigger deal on the east coast then in the west so it was fun to introduce my parents to one of the biggest pumpkin farms in northern Virginia. In addition to pumpkins and apple cider there are giant slides, a hayride complete with a visit from aliens, entertainment, obstacle courses, rope swings, animals etc. For me the most important part was taking the token pumpkin/fall pictures of the kids. I'd say we got a few good pics to show for it, thank goodness for digital.










The girls took a day and went to St. Michael's a small boating town along the Chesapeake Bay. It is cute and quaint with more than it's fair share of restaurants and bed and breakfasts. It was a beautiful, warm day and we enjoyed leisurely strolling along and eating crab sandwiches. St. Michaels is a place Herb and I used to sail to with our friends back in the days when we were dating and first married. We'd dock and then eat seafood to our heart's content. The small town has some fond memories for me and it was nice to spend a day with my mum.


On their last day my dad returned to seeing the sites in downtown DC while my mom and I took Lincoln to a gardening class at the River Gardens formally part of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. It is a beautiful place overlooking the Potomac River and the headquarters for the National Horticultural Society. As part of their education program they have gardening classes for young children. The class we attended had the kids search for butterflies and make a butterfly feeder.