Week 49 of 52 in 2018

It was a busy week (as usual) at our house with checking items off the list of holiday cheer.

We headed out to Davidson Farms to select our Christmas tree.  It is so beautiful and all you can see wherever you look is christmas trees.

We had secured tickets to see Charlie Brown the Christmas Musical.  It was a lot of fun!

Charlie Brown Christmas Musical at the Lyric

There were some discounted ticket option and despite how busy we were during the holiday season, we decided to get tickets to introduce the boys to the Lyric.  We had some downtime after an early morning lax gam in Columbia and headed to the Lyric after having lunch.

We entered after a slight delay.  There were a large group of people assembled outside the Lyric waiting for the doors to open.  We made our way through security after having the man in front of us being denied entrance for bringing his pocket knife into the venue... Still struggling to understand why he thought that was a good idea.

Because of the delay in the doors opening, the show was delayed.  It was worth the wait. We were able to get some pictures of the boys in the historic building.  They were in awe of the artwork and were pointing out things they knew.

Photography was prohibited but I snuck this one.  The flash didn't go off. This was during the scene when the Peanuts gang were ice skating.  The main characters from the show were there and Snoopy was extra animated.  Shermie and Schroeder went back in forth between participating and playing musical instruments. All of the actors could sing and dance and at the end, they all showed that most of them could play an instrument.

After the show, we were finally able to secure popcorn for Jackson.  We weren't sure when the show was going to start and the concession stand near us had run out.  Jackson and I waited in a long line at intermission only to be told that they didn't have more popcorn.  The customer service was not the best as I had even asked if there was popcorn available...

We had the boys take some pics in and around the venue. They LOVED the show and I'm so happy that we came through with a busy schedule to find some fun holiday things to do with our almost 9 year olds.

At some point, we will get our tree decorated. Stay tuned!!

Swinging Nutcrackers at the BSO

Despite our incredibly busy schedule for the holidays, the Zoo offered us a discount code to see the Swinging Nutcrackers and I opted to get the tickets without checking our calendar.... (see next post). 

We had seen the new Disney Nutcracker film and the boys love the music and it was a great opportunity to take them to the BSO as they had never been.

We arrived early to check out what else the Myerhoff had to offer and to look around.  These helpful fact screens were out.  I had read a little bit about the show and knew that it wasn't going to be the traditional ballerina's in the original version and that it would be a hip hop troupe. 

As we were early, we were able to go in as the musicians were arriving and get an up close view of the stage.  It is beautiful and we hope to take the boys to more shows there in the future.

We headed up to our seats and ALL the boys were a little uncomfortable!! Next time, we will have to get seats lower.  

The show was amazing and definitely a unique take on the Nutcracker.  It was a nice introduction to how an orchestra works. The boys were able to track the musicians as they played and the Fly Dance Company were incredibly entertaining and full of energy.  We will have to try the original Nutrcracker during the holiday season next year. 

Breakfast with Santa at the Iron Rooster

The boys really enjoy Iron Rooster and while we were there after our family pictures, we spotted the sign up for Breakfast with Santa.  Despite our hectic schedule, we secured a reservation hoping for the best...

Both of the boys were given an opportunity to write their Christmas wish list to share with Santa.  The list remained the same with bey blades, Pharaoh's Pyramid, a new Playmobil castle and nerf guns. 

It was our turn to go back and meet with the big guy!! The boys chatted away with him. Jackson was kind enough to let him know that he knew that he wasn't the real Santa.  They relayed their list and we were able to secure some pictures with Santa.  We don't know how much longer that they are going to want to talk to Santa so we cherish these moments.

Finding the perfect/any one will do tree at Davidson Farms

Michael had worked in the Towson office so that we could get to Davidson Tree Farms before they closed.  The boys were super happy to see him at pick up.  We piled into the car and headed over to the Tree Farm.  There were winding roads and the sun was still out.

We were hopeful when we arrived and got the necessary tools.  Jackson was in charge of the cart and wouldn't let Connor help at all (twin brother problems).  Connor may have secured a minute.

The sun was starting to set and it was so beautiful.  As far as you could see were trees of different varieties.

The actual selection of the tree took a LOOOOOOONG time. Everybody had an opinion.  I like short and fat trees and Michael prefers skinnier ones.  It couldn't be too tall and everyone that the boys tried to pick was very fat and wouldn't fit into the space designated in our living room.  Unfortunately, the boys were getting hungry and they were taking the rejection really hard.  It was way too many emotions for something that was fun.  We decided on a tree probably because the sun was setting and we did not have any time. It was a beautiful tree but we definitely missed Mary's Meadows where there were multiple to pick from.

While Michael was trying to "cut" it down, the boys posed with another tree that we had walked passed and liked but rejected for some unknown reason.

We had sent Jackson for help as we weren't sure if Michael was going to be able to cut the tree down. It took him awhile.  We think that he got side tracked and was talking to the workers.  It was getting really dark and that didn't help either. Finally, the tree was down and we were finally ready for the tree to get baled and on the roof

By the time we were done, I couldn't even get a picture of the tree without the flash going off.  We got our tree and we are looking forward to decorating it hopefully sooner than later.

Week 48 of 52 in 2018

Jackson:  We've had a LOT of early morning games for Jackson.  His team seemed to get the short end of the stick with multiple 7 a.m. game times.  And, not only is the game at 7 a.m., it's in Columbia and the players need to be there at 6:30.  Despite the early time, Jackson is loving every minute of it. He's been part of the offense and has scored and gotten assists.

Connor:  We signed up the boys for futsal because the TRC indoor soccer program wouldn't let you know the day of the games.  And with the commitment of lax, we needed to know the date.  So, futsal it was.  Connor is not a fan and really struggles with the drills. But, he sticks with it. On this day, he ended up with a pinnie that was almost as long as a dress.

Week 46 of 52 in 2018

It was a very odd week with a school closure for snow and a 2 hour delay.  Also, it was American Education Week so Michael and I were able to join the boys in their classrooms.  Unfortunately, Google Photos didn't grab all my photos despite indicating that it would.  Connor and I spent a good bit of time working on his fable and in the library playing a fun game of Mad Libs.  He got picked by Mr. Holden and was able to join in the story.  Mr. Holden did a good job engaging all the kids.

Jackson:  Jackson had his last game with Coach Bob and Team #4.  Since a large group of kids had prior obligations, a lot of the kids from the other teams joined us.  For some reason, Jackson offered to go into the goal.  He indicated that it was a treat that he was going to give the team. Luckily, the game was tied at the half and he did a good job.  He came from defense forward and scored a goal and had some great passes. Coach Bob confirmed that he loved his enthusiasm for the season.

Saturday afternoon in Annapolis

A lot of the closer children's theater were putting on productions that didn't feel very age appropriate.  I had secured us tickets to see Peter Pan at the Children's Theater of Annapolis.  The boys enjoyed the show and afterwards we headed towards downtown Annapolis.

We got a table at the Boatyard. There were lots of midshipmen and you could tell that you were in Annapolis with all the banners.  Despite getting rave reviews, we were not that impressed.  The nachos had no flavor.  Connor's crabcake was good and my steamed shrimp were great.  Anything that wasn't seafood was debatable.  It was hard to overcome the nachos. 

Jackson decided to be adventurous and try oysters. He didn't get very far.  In his defense, the oysters were huge.  Connor, who typically loves oysters, was struggling. Neither Michael nor I actually expected him to swallow anything but the fact that he was trying was HUGE for him.  He's very picky about what he eats. 

After lunch, we decided to walk around. The scenery was so beautiful that we had to snap some pictures.

We definitely have to take the boys back on a nice day so that we can explore more about the City of Annapolis.  There's so much to see and we're not that far away.