Pumpkin Carving and a Beautiful Day

Well, it has been an all fall weekend so far.  It’s been gorgeous weather, and we tried to fit in some fall fun to take advantage of the nice days.  We started by carving our family pumpkin. 

Nina and Lyla were not thrilled by the smell of the pumpkin, but they stuck with the scooping out of the insides so they could collect (and count) all the pumpkin seeds.  They counted a total of 606 pumpkin seeds!

 

Saturday was an amazing fall day, so after Lyla’s soccer game we got ready to head out and enjoy the beautiful weather.  We started by heading out to Middleburg to hit our favorite ice cream place, Scruffy’s.  We always make a point of going there in the fall because the have the most amazing pumpkin ice cream in a cinnamon waffle cone.  It’s only there for a limited time, so it’s not to be missed!  Dogs are welcome at Scruffy’s, so Cayenne comes along and gets lots of attention from passersby and some dog treats from the people at Scruffy’s. 

In the contest of who could pose nicest for the camera, I think Cayenne wins!

After enjoying Scruffy’s, we visited Cana Winery for a tasting.  Cayenne might have enjoyed the taste of the wine more than we did, but it was hard to beat the beautiful view and great atmosphere of the winery grounds.

   

 

It makes me a bit sad to think that winter is on its way before too long. I wish beautiful days like this would last a lot longer!!

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Well, Fall is officially here. We’re talking Halloween costumes, fully in the groove of school, picking our pumpkins, and spending some days in short sleeves and some days in jackets.  The girls do the school routine during the week, then we get the chance to unwind and enjoy some down time on the weekends. 

  

Cayenne has also adjusted to the school routine well – for the most part.  She gets the girls up in the morning by running in their rooms when the alarm goes off and digging them out from under the covers.  She walks with us to the bus stop, and we head straight out for her 4+ mile daily run – me on the bike, Cayenne running next to the bike.  As our mornings get closer to winter, we get to see cool sights like this that my camera phone definitely doesn’t do justice.  The sun was rising up over the trees while the geese were paddling through the steam that was floating off the pond. It was really quite beautiful. The morning runs are getting colder though.  One of the things I’m not looking forward to this winter are the exercise runs in freezing cold weather, but run she must, so bundle up I will!!

Most of the afternoons are still beautiful, so after the girls get home, get a snack and do homework, it’s outside to play they go.  The pup keeps a close eye on the girls while they’re out playing.  She’s very much a velcro Vizsla – wherever the family is, that’s where she wants to be!

PB Turns 90

Yesterday was PB’s 90th birthday, and we got the chance to celebrate the milestone birthday with family at his house in Maryland.  We were teasing PB last night that 90 must be the new 70 because he certainly doesn’t look or act like someone who just turned 90.  PB has lived quite a full life in his 90 years.  He’s survived illness – rheumatic fever as a child and cancer in his later life.  He survived his time in the Army during World War II, and he’s travelled the world working as an engineer building simulators and working on night and thermal vision technology.  He’s a nature lover, a great photographer, and a dedicated family man.  He’s kind and generous, and he gives all the credit for his life to God.  We’re very thankful for PB and for his 90 years, and in case you’re wondering, NO, we didn’t attempt to put 90 candles on the cake!  Happy Birthday, PB!

  

Soccer

Lyla is playing soccer again this fall, and guess who’s the coach?  Yes, that would be Coach Dad.  Mark is doing a good job coaching the little Strawberry Shortkicks who play games against equally intimidating teams like the Unicorns, the Ladybugs, and the Rainbows.  They’re a cute group of girls who have never played together before but most weeks they seem to play well, and they always look like they’re having fun.

Lyla has always loved soccer and played with lots of energy and aggressiveness, but not so this season.  We’re not sure why, but hopefully the old soccer Lyla will come back.  She loves having her dad as coach, but we’re wondering if she would be better off with someone she doesn’t know.  She tends to be much goofier with her dad as coach than she’s ever been with an unfamiliar person as coach, and while Mark has enjoyed coaching the Shortkicks, he said he definitely won’t mind taking a place back as a parent on the sidelines.  We’ll see how it goes.

 

 

Last weekend after soccer, we took Cayenne to Barktoberfest.  It was a fall “festival” for dogs (if you want to call it that).  I took pictures with my phone, but unfortunately I lost all the pictures I took, so I don’t have any photos to show.  One cute part was when Nina and Cayenne entered a pet/owner look-alike contest.  They were hurting for contestants, so even though she and Cayenne don’t really look alike, they have traits in common and entered the contest. 

Nina said that they’re alike because they both have a lot of energy, they both love to play, they both have hazel eyes, and they both whine a lot!  That last one got a good laugh.  They didn’t win the contest, but she got to pick out a cute dog toy for Cayenne just for participating in the contest.  Cayenne loved seeing and sniffing all the dogs that were there, and it was fun for us to get out and enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon outside.

Sister Update

I’ve been doing a post called Sister Update ever since the girls were little.  My first one was just over six years ago. I put a search into the blog for the title of Sister Update and saw the progression through the years.  That kind of blew me away.  They were baby sisters once.  Now, just take a look – baby sisters no longer.   With the age comes good and bad.  They are so much fun for each other when they want to be.  They are good companions, good play mates, they make each other laugh, and they watch out for each other – again, when they want to be.  Maybe it was easier when Lyla was younger and wanted nothing more than to entertain and please her big sister.  But, now Lyla has a personality of her own, and it doesn’t include always wanting to please her big sister, but that’s ok.  So, while there is still lots of love, there’s bickering at times, annoying each other at times, and times when they just need to play apart.  However, I know that’s just part of being sisters.  I’m thankful that they love each other, and I’m thankful God gave us two unique and different girls to add lots of color and conversation to our lives.

Speaking of conversation, if there ever was a talker, it’s Nina.  I have no idea how many words and thoughts circle from her brain and out her mouth on a daily basis, but let’s just say it’s a LOT.  At times it can be exhausting, but I’d rather have her talk a ton then not talk to us much at all.  From the minute she gets up and moving until we close the door to her room at night, she’s talking.  There’s always something to be said.  If she ever runs out of things to talk about, she’ll just ask, “So, what do you think we should talk about next.”  She still holds my hand when we’re walking together or puts her arm around my waist and we walk and talk.  That’s my Nina. 

She still loves to dance and is quite a good tumbler.  She gets none of her tumbling skills from me. I can hardly cartwheel, but it’s “her thing” and we love to watch her.  She’s a frog lover (her room is full of little frog stuffed animals), and even though she’s eight, she still sleeps with her blankie every night.  The same one she’s had since she was a baby.  She’s a good student, she loves chocolate, and she loves that dog.  No surprise there.

Lyla is our six year old, growing like a weed, first grader.  Her early years started out as a shy little girl who was often hiding behind my leg or wanting me to hold her.  Gone are those days for sure!  While she can still be shy in initial situations meeting someone, she is much more outgoing than she used to be.  Lyla is our resident comedian and obsessive collector of junk (you name it, she’ll be happy to collect it).  Currently she resides on Planet Lyla.  If you’ve ever asked your child, what planet are you on???, you know what I mean. Our answer to that question is quite simply, Planet Lyla.  There’s a lot that happens on Planet Lyla that I wouldn’t fathom happening on my planet, but then again, I don’t reside on Planet Lyla.   

Jokes aside, Lyla is a joy to our family.  She loves to get a laugh, she’s a great bike rider (probably will end up a race car driver some day), and she’s a good reader.  She is almost always dirty or trying to find a way to get dirty, she plays soccer, and when you get past the goofy stuff, she’s got a sensitive heart.  Just this week I had lunch with her at school, and she broke down in tears and sobs when I had to leave.  She just wanted me to stay longer with her or her to come home from school with me.  Every night she asks for us to pray that she doesn’t have bad dreams, and interestingly enough, she asks us to pray for her to have wisdom (which we all need but which we are more than happy to pray for Lyla).  She’s one of a kind!

I would write about the furry third sister, but I’m running out of time, and I’m still mad at her for chewing the top off my favorite water bottle.  Perhaps one day, Cayenne will permanently reside on Planet Good Dog instead of Planet Naughty Puppy.  There’s always hope!

Over a Year!

We’ve eclipsed the year mark of having Cayenne in our family.  It’s hard to believe she was ever this size!!!  She was so little, so cute, and quite a bit naughty.  Now she’s not so little, still so cute, and still a bit naughty.  We love her though, and she’s been quite an addition to the family.

In her second year, she’s going to start a support group for domesticated bird dogs, called The Real Bird Dogs of Loudoun County.  In her group, it’s ok if your birds are fake (aren’t everyone’s?), the only hunting you do is for Cheerios in the back yard, and sleeping on cushy dog beds is a perfectly acceptable substitute for a hunting barn or kennel.  We think she’s well on her way to being a suitable leader of this very prestigious group!

First Day of School

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve already got the first week of school in the books!  Nina and Lyla started school on Tuesday, and so far all seems to be going well.

Lyla started 1st grade this year, and it’s a big adjustment from Kindergarten.  In our county, Kindergarten is only 1/2 day, and she went in during the second half of the school day, so this is her first year getting ready and out the door for the bus which comes at 7:23.  I felt a little sad to see her go. It almost seemed like an end of the era of the girls still being little, but I was really happy that she was excited about being a first grader and excited about going to a full day of school.  Aside from realizing she could charge lunch items to an account, and doing it twice during the first week despite being told by her parents not to after the first occasion (and aside from the fact that she’s packed a FULL lunch and drink), she’s had a good first week of school!

  

Our resident 3rd grader was too cool for school on Tuesday morning.  She was very excited for the first day, a little nervous, but looking forward to seeing her friends.  Nina has what seems to be a wonderful teacher this year for 3rd grade, so we’re thrilled about that.  She has her own style and has definite opinions how she does and doesn’t want her hair to look - something that her mother is trying not to battle her on.  Our girl is growing up!

   

Then there’s the fur baby who we tried to send to school with the other two, but they noticed the full body fur and the four legs when we tried to sneak her in the bus line.  I guess there’s still one little pest left at home!

So, it was on the bus and off they went.  We’re thankful for a good school for the girls to go to, and so far they’ve made good friends and have seemed to really enjoy their first week.  Now, if we can keep our morning routine going and keep Lyla from racking up charges on the school account, we’ll be in good shape! 

Championship Reunion

It was a busy last week before school – shopping for school supplies, Back to School Night, Meet the Teacher Day, etc., then we spent a large part of the weekend at festivities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of DC United’s 2004 MLS Cup victory. 

Saturday night was the dinner event which included a face painter and magician for the kids. 

The 2004 team and staff were recognized at the Sunday afternoon DC United game.  Nina was cute during the introductions – very proud of her dad.  It was nice to see some old friends and be downtown for the celebrations. 

  

Cayenne, who didn’t accompany the family, did pretty well with being left alone for a larger amount of time on Saturday and Sunday than normal.  She followed up her great behavior by being quite naughty this week.  Just when we think she’s out of the puppy phase, we’re reminded she’s clearly still in it!!