January 2020

January was a fun month.  In the beginning of the month, we celebrated a belated holiday with the In-Laws.  We had dinner out and then went back to our apartment for dessert and presents.  I can't even handle the cuteness of all the kids together.

The very next day, Captain and I took the Metro to The Kennedy Center to see the play Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  He used to be scared of the Metro and is no longer!  Because I'm an idiot, I bought 4 tickets to the play because I can't work the Internet.  So, I gave two of the tickets to Sister-in-Law and Nephew.  We met in between the two performances for lunch.  After lunch, Captain and I did the fun virtual tour of The Kennedy Center with Pigeon on the app.  The wifi was a little spotty so we didn't complete it, but we did get a pin and had a lot of fun.

The next weekend, Husband was out of town on an annual trip.  So, the kids and I did some cooking and baking and had a movie night (101 Dalmations, the original animated film).  We did dinner out with the In-Laws.  It was a lot of fun.

The next weekend, Little Miss had a Latin party which is a total thing.  She won second place in a costume contest.  I went to a Housewarming party and a couple of happy hours.  Overall, it was a pretty relaxing long weekend.  Our Sunday Family Movie was Star Wars (A New Hope).  I did not fall asleep once through this viewing, too.

The last weekend, the kids and I went back to The Kennedy Center for Lunar New Year (China).  I think I'm going to have to skip Korea this weekend.  I just need to do some things at home.  The lanterns were beautiful, and the kids had a blast with crafts and costumes.  We also completed the Virtual Tour and got certificates of completion!  And then everybody melted down, and we came home.  

Food front:  I bought myself an Air Fryer for Christmas so we used that quite a bit.  In January, we air fried everything from veggies (butternut squash and broccoli and brussels sprouts) to pot stickers, chicken tenders and onion rings.  The kids and I made chocolate donuts in the oven, homemade baked mac and cheese, parmesan chicken tenders, chicken romano and lemon pasta, broccoli cheese soup, champagne cupcakes with champagne buttercream, the yummiest vanilla cake, and circus cupcakes.  There were also brownies and sugar cookies.  You can find our updates and recipes here on our Cooking/Baking Instagram page, @A4MinimalEffort.

Weekend Update - The Play's the Thing!

Last weekend, we started with a bang!  When my summer hours started at work (3PM closings on Friday), Sister-in-Law, Nephew, Little Miss and I went to the waterpark.  The kids had so much fun that they both fell asleep on the way home.  

On Saturday, Little Miss spent the night with my parents while we met Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law and another couple in Georgetown.  We had drinks and a great dinner before walking over to The Kennedy Center to see The Book of Mormon.  After, we had some post-play cocktails before heading home.  

On Sunday, we went out to my parents' pool for the afternoon before heading home where we collapsed in exhaustion.  Good weekend indeed!

Anything Goes

Yesterday was my birthday.  As I wrote, I had a lovely Friday night with friends for my birthday so most of the celebrating was over.  However, yesterday was quite nice for a Tuesday birthday.  I brought in munchkins to the office.  I like to do that because they're small and no one can say no to a donut hole.  My friend sent me flowers to the office which was a nice treat and brightens my sparse office.  My co-worker treated me to frozen yogurt which was a nice afternoon snack.  Then, after work, I met Sister-in-Law for a happy hour and dinner before seeing Anything Goes at The Kennedy Center.  The show was very energetic and really cute and high-energy.  When I got home, I got to open a card from Little Miss that said, "Happy birthday, Mommy!  I love you and I like you."  For some reason, that really made me giggle.  It's a keeper. 

Weekend Update - Wicked Carnival

On Friday, we had a quiet night. We had a party earlier in the week in DC where we stayed out late so we needed a quiet night. On Saturday, Little Miss threw my contacts down the sink (AGAIN) so it was a long day of yelling and napping - by all parties. In the evening, we went and ran some errands.

On Sunday, Mom and Sister came over for brunch and Husband made us pancakes and bacon. Then, Mom, Sister, and I went to The Kennedy Center to see Wicked. It was a lot of fun. After the play, Husband, Little Miss and I met the In-Laws and Nephew at a local carnival where Little Miss rode the Merry-Go-Round, motorcycles and boats. Then, she played a carnival game and we left. It was very hot. We drove a little ways and got some ice and custard at Rita's. We got home late, but everybody had a good afternoon and a great weekend.

Weekend Update - (Finally) A Winter Wonderland!

It was a long weekend which was a long time coming! On Friday, I saw Avenue Q. I loved it. I had been waiting a long time to see the play and was so excited when it came to town again.

Then, on Saturday, we drove to Maryland to my parents' vacation house. We saw flurries as soon as we left Virginia, and the snow just got heavier and heavier as we headed west. The kids played in the snow a little. Little Miss only had a brief nap in the car so she was a little cranky, but I think she was a little fascinated with the snow, too.

On Sunday, Mom, Brother-in-Law, Sister, Nephew and I went skiing/snowboarding. Husband stayed inside with Little Miss. It was fun especially watching Nephew ski. He took to skiing very quickly. At one point, I told him I'd race him. The next run, he shouted, "Auntie April, stop!" so I came to a quick stop to see him ski right by me. While he passed me, I heard him say "I won!" Stinker.

This morning, we went swimming before heading home. Nephew loves the pool. Little Miss was ok with me, but she wasn't really loving the pool. I think she would have rather a morning nap. We were hoping to keep her awake so she'd sleep on the way home which she did.

Nephew and Little Miss really get along well. When Little Miss was cranky at dinner, he offered her his ice cream to cheer her up. When Nephew got in trouble for rough housing a little too hard, she went over to him and kissed his leg. This morning, while I was getting ready, Nephew watched Little Miss to keep her out of mischief and away from the stairs.

Below is a video of the kids sledding:

And it's time to start another week...