First family golfing trip

Granny and Grandpa wanted to give Tyler his first real golf clubs and wanted him to be able to enjoy them for the entire summer, so Ty got an early birthday present. He loves them! This weekend, we got to test them out for the first time at a nearby driving range. Fun was had by all. Hopefully it will be the first of many golf outings for this foursome. Click on the photo below for more pictures.

A very happy Easter, part II

The afternoon and evening of our Easter was full of surprising fun too.

First, earlier in the weekend, Jeff had promised Ty that they could go fishing in the creek behind our house. So after rest time, they went out in our front yard, dug up some worms, and we all hiked down to the creek. In about a half hour, they had caught 4 "whoppers." Enjoy the video below and click here from more photos.

Ty and Jeff catch a whopper from Teri Schmidt on Vimeo.

After the fishing trip, we came back and saw our neighbors from the two houses next to us. Since no one had any plans for Easter dinner, we decided to all gather over at our house. One neighbor brought a ham, we made some steak, and the other neighbor took care of the drinks. The last-minute celebration was a great time for both the adults and the kids.

A trip to Washington DC

Yesterday we finally made it in to DC (it's only about a half hour away) to view the typical tourist sites. Our main planned destinations were the National Museum of Natural History (or the "dinosaur museum" according to Tyler) and the Tidal Basin to view the cherry blossoms. We were also treated to the annual Kite Festival, which Ty loved. For pictures of our trip, click on the cherry blossom picture above.

Snow day!

The forecast called for 1 inch of snow today and I was doubtful that we'd get any. Afterall, we live in the "south" now. Boy, was I wrong! The snow started falling (in huge flakes) at 10am and didn't stop until about 5:30pm. Ty was thrilled as winter is his favorite season. For pictures of the snowball fights, snowman building, and hiking and sledding in the woods, click on the photo.

Just like Macy's (okay, not really)

The day after Thanksgiving, Tyler, Megan, and I ventured out to Reston Town Center for their annual Thanksgiving Parade. Although it was a little chilly, we enjoyed seeing the floats, entertainers, and Santa and Mrs. Claus. For more pictures, click on the photo below.

Trip to the pumpkin patch

Yesterday, Tyler, Megan, and I got into the Fall spirit and visited a local pumpkin patch. Well, it was really more of a GIANT playground than a pumpkin patch, but we did get to pick out two small pumpkins for free (i.e., included with our admission).

There was so much to do! There were rope swings, a hayride with every character you could imagine, a corn maze, about 15 large slides, free apples and apple cider, and more. The best part of my day was after we all went down the big slide together and Ty turned to me and said, "I want to go by myself!". He then walked up all of the stairs and slid down as Megan and I waited at the bottom of the hill.

And yes, Megan and I were there...she just doesn't make it into many pictures when she's in front of me in the carrier. Here's one picture that she did make it into...I'm not quite sure what Ty was planning to do with her shoe, but she didn't seem to mind. For more pictures, click on the photo.

Oktoberfest!

We continue to enjoy the many free activities around our community. Last weekend we had a great time at the Vienna Oktoberfest. There was really good local music (including ACDC played by 50 year olds), a bounce house, slide, Lego station, face painting, and of course brats (with apple sauerkraut) and German beer. Click here for some more photos.

Happy 4th birthday Tyler!

It's hard to believe just 4 years ago we were in the hospital in Lafayette, Indiana celebrating the birth of our beautiful little boy.

Just look at him now...still beautiful, not so little.

He acts more and more like a little man every day. He's so sweet, sensitive, funny, outgoing, and loving. He calms me down when I overreact and reminds me not to take life so seriously. We're so blessed to have him in our lives.

For more pictures and videos of the birthday celebration, including our trip to the National Zoo, click here.

More fun outings

Have we mentioned we like living in VA? It's so fun to have a new place to visit each day. Two new destinations this week were a huge playground in McLean and a water feature at a local shopping/dining area with some new friends. And yes, Megan finally got to get out of the carrier and have some fun too. Click here for some more photos.

A move milestone for Tyler

Despite the fun that he's been having at our new house, Ty has repeatedly said that he likes NY better than VA. He mentions how he misses our friends, his old school, his old yard, his old room, etc.

Today, it was absolutely beautiful weather (80 degrees and sunny--pretty much how it's been ever since we moved here). Jeff has been in Italy since Tuesday (returning this Thurs.) so I wanted to make sure that Ty had a fun day planned. I saw that as part of their free summer entertainment, the Fairfax County Parks department has an "Art in the Parks" series made up of shows for kids that educate them about music, theater, and art. So, we headed to Burke Lake park, which we've heard people rave about, for the Percussion Duo from the Fairfax Symphony. It was a show in the outside ampitheater about all different kind of percussion instruments, led by a clown. Ty even got to perform on stage.

We followed that show with a ride on the carousel (our big boy went all by himself) and a 10-minute train ride through the woods (much better than the "potty train"). We topped it off with a hike around the lake through the woods, a picnic lunch, and an ice cream cone.

(Click on the collage for all of the pictures and a video of the "performance.")

And wouldn't you know it, as we were walking to the car Ty looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I like Virginia better than NY."

PS: Megan was with us too...it's just hard to take pictures of someone strapped to the front of you.

Our first trip to one of the many parks in Fairfax County

Fairfax County has a ton of diverse parks (most of which are free--something we're not used to coming from Long Island). Last Friday, Ty, Megan, and I journeyed to our first one--Frying Pan Farm. It is a working farm which attempts to preserve a 1920s-1950s farm. Ty enjoyed seeing the animals, including some babies, and really loved the tractor ride around the farm.

We can't wait to explore more of the parks!

For more pictures, click here.

2009 U.S. Open

We followed a weekend at the races with a day at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black! Although it was pretty muddy, the rain held off for most of the day and we had a wonderful time experiencing the atmosphere, seeing some amazing golf, having some time to ourselves without kids (thanks Scott and Kyleen!), and remembering the time we got to play the course together a couple of years ago.

Oh, and we also got to take a picture with the U.S. Open trophy (above) and a car made to look like a golf ball (complete with dimples), thanks to Lexus.

Our years in NY certainly have provided us with some exciting experiences. Although we're looking forward to our new adventure in VA (starting this weekend!), we will leave with many fond memories.

A day at the races and a little luck from above

One week after the big event at Belmont, we decided we should visit the track for the first time. We had a lot of fun relaxing outside and Ty enjoyed watching the horses with our friends. Although the whole day was fun, there was one particularly special moment. You see, my mom loved to go to the races and she would always bet on the #6 horse in Race 6. As I was sitting on the bench waiting for Jeff to place a bet on another race, I flipped to Race 6 in the program to look at the name of the #6 horse (I usually bet on horses based on if I like the name or not--really scientific). So, the name of this horse?..."Bob's pinup girl." I was going to place a bet anyway, but seeing a horse with my dad's name in it sealed the deal.

So, we put $2 on #6 to win Race #6 (at about 12-1 odds). When the race began, it didn't look good. #6 was near the back with two other horses way in the lead. However, as they entered the final stretch (right in front of us), #6 raced forward, passing the other horses, helping us win $26, and making me feel like my parents were just a little bit closer.

The first pictures of our 10 kids

For more, click here.

More fun at the Long Island Children's Museum

Ty, Megan, and I spent a Friday morning a couple of weeks ago back at the Long Island Children's Museum with our friends. Just like last time, we had a great time. It's fun to see how Ty's interests there changed in just a few months. Click here for more pictures.