What a Face!

Yesterday was the birthday party of our good friend, Kate.  She was turning five, so we headed out to the Rumple’s house to celebrate Kate with some super cool face painting.  The lady that Jill had come to their house to paint the kids’ faces was amazing.  She painted anything that the kids asked – all while being super speedy and very creative.  Nina wanted to be a puppy (of course) and Jonathan was a snake.  Lyla was a bunny and Kate was a butterfly. 

It’s hard to believe our little girls are turning five!  Jill and I were pregnant at the same time, and Kate was born two weeks before Lyla, but it seems like such a short time ago that they were babies.  I feel like I keep saying this, but time is flying.  Kate is a sweet and wonderful little girl who we were happy to celebrate yesterday.

   

Fetch Turns Two

Yesterday was a day off of school for the kids in our county, so the Hounds planned Fetch’s 2nd birthday bash to coincide with the day off and had a lunch-time party for Fetch at a local restaurant.  Last year we were at the party when Fetch turned one, so you might recognize the two little girls in the promotional flyer below. 

 

Nina and Lyla got to see Fetch, have some of his birthday cake, get their faces painted, and Lyla even won a scarf in a ticket raffle.  It was a nice way to spend some lunchtime hours on a day off from school.  Happy Birthday, Fetch!

  

  

Happy Valentine’s Day

Since I don’t have any better advice for men on Valentine’s Day than the example of the bird from last year, I’ll stick to reporting about Valentine’s Day around our house.  As usual, all good things to celebrate in the Simpson house get started with donuts.  The girls got their cards and ate their donuts, then it was off to school for Nina.  She’s recently sporting a new haircut (several inches cut off), and was excited for the whole Valentine exchange at school today.

After Nina got home, the girls got a few little treats from Cupid, and I got a Valentine that Nina made in school.  I am going to have to save this one.  How did she know I always wanted to be a rock star?   

   

In the bizarro world of Mark and I, we discovered this evening that we got each other the exact same card.  I’ve heard that people start to look alike and think alike after years and years of being married, but what are the chances with all the cards out there…

We finished things off with a great dinner cooked by Mark and the family’s favorite chocolate cake.  It was a nice, low-key day for all of us.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lots of Press!

For Mark’s family and friends (and mine too) that want to read what he has to say about Virginia Cavalry FC’s focus and vision, check out the latest articles on the homepage of www.virginiacavalry.com or go to the “News” link on the site.

Virginia Cavalry FC

Last night was a big night for the NASL Virginia team – they got their name! After several months of name submissions and voting, the public chose Virginia Cavalry FC as the name of their team (click on the link to check out their new site).  The name unveiling party was yesterday evening at the Bungalow Lakehouse, and it was really a great celebration.  The turnout was amazing.  There were a couple hundred people there to watch the National Team game and celebrate the unveiling of the NASL Virginia team. 

Mark was joined by former teammates, John Harkes and Eddie Pope, to do some halftime commentary during the game, then immediately following the game Mark talked about the vision for the NASL Virginia team and unveiled the new name. The event was put together very nicely, and there is a lot of excitement about the future of two professional sports teams (minor league baseball and NASL soccer) playing in a great stadium right here in our own county.

It was nice to see a lot of familiar faces from Mark’s days at DC United that came out for the event, and we appreciated the friends and my parents that came to support the event as well.  There were several real photographers there taking pictures, so The Virginia Cavalry website and Facebook site will no doubt have some great pictures posted in the near future. My few snapshots definitely don’t do justice to the event, but it was really nice to be there, taking everything in and seeing nearly 18 months of work (by Mark and the team at VIP Entertainment) coming to fruition!

 

Big News for the Williams Family

They’re moving back!  After a couple years in Asheville, the Williams family is on their way back to Northern Virginia.  Garland’s job offered him a promotion back here in NoVa, so it was an offer they couldn’t refuse.  Although they really enjoyed their time in Asheville, we’re all glad that they’ll be back “home” again!  They spent the last few days here – looking at schools, getting a feel for where they want to live, etc.  So, while they were here we got in dinner with them and friends on Friday night, cousin time and Sweet Frog on Saturday, then a family Super Bowl gathering on Sunday.  Nina and Lyla were sad to see their cousins leave today, but they had a great time dancing, creating routines, doing gymnastics, and just hanging around having fun.  The Williams family will be back up next month and plan to move back as soon as the school year is done, so we’re glad to know we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the near future!

 

 

Snow

Snow in the forecast + school closing early = a kid’s recipe for a very happy Friday!

Soccer Stuff

There’s been a lot going on in the soccer part of Mark’s world these days.  I have to give him credit.  While not a multi-tasker by nature, he is doing a great job multi-tasking in his job world lately.  He’s working in the mortgage world and the soccer world simultaneously.  It’s not always easy, but he’s already found some interesting connections between the two. 

But like I was saying, there is a lot going on the soccer part of his world.  The team is under two weeks away from unveiling their new name.  Did you vote?  Nina did.  She voted for “Shockwave” but, needless to say, it didn’t end up in the top three!  There is going to be an unveiling event on Feb. 6 – details HERE.  If you’re local, please join us!!!  Also, Mark and a few guys on the staff just got back from Indianapolis where the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the North American Soccer League were both holding their annual meetings.  Here’s a little bit about Mark’s time in Indy.

So, Mark is busy but happy.  He loves the people he works with, and he can definitely say he has a challenge now, and I think he’s finding himself quite fulfilled.

(This picture of us was at the holiday party for the baseball and soccer team a few weeks ago.)

Luray Caverns

Since the kids had off school on Friday, we went with some friends to Luray Caverns.  Mark and I had been to Luray seven years ago, but this was the first time taking the kids there.  I kind of forgot how spectacular some of the features of the caverns were.  It really is a gorgeous place to visit.

  

There is one area in the caverns that has some standing water which provides some cool reflections. 

In this photo, it’s almost hard to tell where the actual feature stops and and the reflection starts!

There were 12 kids in our group (and four adults), and they all seemed to have a good time exploring together.

I got a little carried away taking pictures.  The sites were so cool. 

 

 

This was the room where they hold weddings.  There is a speaker system that plays a version of A Mighty Fortress is our God (played on the different stalagtite/stalagmite structures).

 

 

After the cavern tour, we checked out the old car museum next door, then made our way back home.  Since Mark was still in Indianapolis, we had dinner with Mousey to look forward to when we got back.  When we got back, I also got a surprise call from Mark saying that he was catching an early flight home from Indy and was going to be home to celebrate our 11th anniversary (which was yesterday).  So, it ended up being a great day for all of us! 

The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy

The Good: Despite the fact that it’s January, we’ve gotten some sunny afternoons that haven’t been too cold which means play time outside.  Nina got her roller skates back on, and we took the girls biking on our neighborhood trails.  They took a stop at a playground we passed to eat a snack and swing on the swings before getting back on the trails and riding home. 

The Bad: Nina has the stomach bug.  Bummer!!  The poor thing is home from school today after being up all last night throwing up.  The girls obviously don’t like being sick, but when they’re sick is the only time they get to just lay on the couch and watch TV, so it’s not all bad in their opinion.

The Goofy:  The picture speaks for itself.  Lyla got out the swim goggles, the noise reduction headphones, and the flippers to greet me when I got out of the shower, so I had to snap a picture with my phone.  One of the joys (and frustrations) about Lyla is that she is so goofy. You wouldn’t guess it from casually interacting with her, but when she’s in her comfort zone at home, she’s such a nut!