Grill time! First one in the new neighborhood!

Unpacking

Opening boxes to find one labeled 'world.' Indeed, I did find the world inside!

First day of School: Mission Accomplished

Kindergarten drop off

Double win for the first morning of kindergarten: Athena walked all the way to school without complaining (kind of a big deal for this kid who hates to walk even a block), and no tears dropping her off. Her teacher is Mrs Volpe. 

First day of school!

First day of kindergarten and middle school!

Last day of summer vacation

Spent the day doing hours of yard work, playing at the beach, and enjoying dinner on our porch. Tomorrow? First days of kindergarten and middle school. Hooray!!!!

Lunch on the porch on a rainy Friday

Moving in!

What do the kids do while we are sorting out our move in. Either dig into boxes or watch iPad at Home Depot. 

Athena’s classroom

Athena met her teachers and saw her classroom today. Only 3 more days of summer vacation!!!

Here come the boxes!

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary welcoming 6 crates full of boxes into our new home. Let the unpacking begin!

Museum of American Indian

Our second stop was the National Museum of the American Indian. It never disappoints! The children's area was fantastic as always, the cafeteria the best, and we heard a storyteller drumming and singing a traditional pow wow song. We could have stayed several more hours but our youngest tourist was tired and out of patience. 

Leila’s garden

Leila was very proud of her garden. Let's see if the enthusiasm carries over to our own yard. 

US Botanic Garden

We played tourist today and hit a few sites on the national mall. First stop? The botanic garden where we did a kid scavenger hunt for plants and practiced gardening skills in the children's garden. 

Fun at the DMV

Playing with the stuffed bear at the DMV while waiting for me to get a VA drivers license. Good times. 

Tooth Fairy Tooth Holder

Leila created this little container for her latest tooth that she wiggles free tonight. She's getting really good at drawing!

Picnic

Last nights dinner was a picnic in the shadow of the Netherlands Carillon with views of DC, followed by a visit to Iwo Jima. 

Beach day!

Today was our first official beach day at the lake. We swam and built a sandcastle, and envied all the people on pontoon boats and kayaks. Then it started to rain just as we left - perfect timing!

Lake life

Passing some time at our lake waiting for leila to finish her school orientation. 

Athena school registration

We registered Athena for school today. There are 12 (!!!) kindergarten classes in her school with a max of 22 kids per class. Every day in the summer they have a free bbq lunch for families. We timed it right to eat!

Bring on the Suzuki Institute