Happy Thanksgiving!

For our very first Thanksgiving in DC, we had a great time. We started the day with our usual walk and trip to the playground at Lincoln Park. Later in the day, we "skyped" both of Gavin's grandparents, cooked a turkey, and made all the fixins. Gavin didn't quite enjoy the feast as he was battling an ear infection unbeknowst to us.

The next day, we hit the clinic to confirm why we had a very crabby turkey on our hands. The day ended with even more disappointment after we discovered that the Dairy Godmother was closed and we wouldn't be getting any frozen custard to cheer us up.

On Saturday, Gavin rebounded and we set off in search of the perfect Christmas tree. In keeping with the five year tradition in the Shea-McCracken household, we ventured out with a saw planning to cut down our tree and ended up buying a pre-cut one off the lot. This year, it's a ten foot tall beauty. We'll post a picture later when it's all decorated!

Enjoy the video below of some of favorite Thanksgiving moments.

My Animal Book!

Gavin loves to read his animal book and show us the pictures and sounds of his favorite animals.

Our Little Drummer Boy!

Gavin took his musical talents to a new level this weekend. He found some unusual instruments around the house and got rockin'. Enjoy the video!

Happy Halloween!

Gavin had a big ole time for his second Halloween.

It started at his friends Finn and Teague's house for a costume party. Gavin's favorite attraction at the party was all of Finn's sporting equipment. Then we took a nice long nap to rest up for the evening festivities.

The evening began with the annual Hilloween party near Eastern Market where we caught up with Jack and his parents. When we got back to the house, the trick-or-treaters were starting to come by. We enjoyed a yummy dinner of butternut squash soup and grilled sandwiches while sitting on the stoop and handing out candy with our neighbors. Grammy and Grandpa were very excited to hand out over 100 pieces of candy. (That's more trick-or-treaters than they've seen the last 10 years combined!)

Around 8, we even took our candy on the road down to East Capitol Street where many of the houses were decorated. There was even one very political display portraying Obama as an angel and McCain as the devil. I believe the sign read Obama vs. McSame.

What a perfect night!

Our Newest Trick!

Gavin is quite the ham as you all know. Most recently, he learned a new trick. Check out the video below.

Boo at the Zoo!

Gavin tried out his Halloween costume on Friday when we went to Boo at the Zoo! It was a fun evening. Gavin's favorite treat was definitely a big juicy apple.

We took it easy the rest of the weekend by enjoying a rainy Saturday at home and going to a pumpkin carving party with some friends on Sunday. It was a great weekend!

Farm Fun!

While Rob spent a second weekend in Boston for the Head of the Charles (go Colonials!), Gavin and I decided to have a play date with Auntie Jill. We headed to South Mountain Creamery in Maryland for their Harvest Festival and then did a hike (more like stroll) on Sugarloaf Mountain.

It was a great day filled with fresh air and fun activities. At the farm, Gavin got up close and personal with a goat, a couple of donkeys, and lots of baby calves. Far and away, Gavin's favorite animals at the farm were the turkeys, roosters, and chickens. We definitely added "cluck, cluck, cluck" to our vocabulary this weekend. We're working on "gobble, gobble" in time for Thanksgiving!

The other two big hits at the farm were a gentleman playing cool wood instruments and all the mini tractors and vehicles for the kids to ride on. Gavin chose an ATV, so we don't know what that says about his future view on wildlife conservation and preservation.

Enjoy the video below. I didn't get any pictures of the Gavin checking out the poultry because I was too busy trying to make sure that he didn't wrangle down a turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Laura and Andy's Wedding Weekend!

We had a great couple of days in Boston. Rob and Gavin took some nice walks around the city and enjoyed the banner weather on Friday and Saturday while Jen participated in the usual bridal party activities. Then Sunday, we visited the Children's Museum and had a yummy seafood dinner.


The wedding was perfect in every way. Gavin entertained everyone at the rehearsal dinner on Friday and during the cocktail hour of the reception on Saturday. He left the reception during the chowder course, so he didn't get to partake in the the full New England Lobster Bake. However, Jen and Rob were happy to be able to enjoy the rest of the evening thanks to Emily's sister Carolyn and her boyfriend Chris!


Below is some video from the wedding along with a slideshow on the right! We were pretty busy and didn't quite capture the best shots of our little guy all dressed up, but we're counting on relatives and friends to send us some of their photos. We're pretty sure Gavin was the second most photographed guy of the evening (after Uncle Andy, of course!).

What a Busy Weekend!

Gavin seems to love the fall season just as much as we do! He was a real trouper this weekend as we dragged him here, there, and everywhere.

We went to Art on the Avenue in Delray with Uncle Drew. There was lots of live music, along with cozy hay bales for seating. What a fun way to spend a bright and sunny day. That evening, we went to a farewell party for Oliver. Gavin stayed out until after 9 o'clock. It was a very fun evening.

Today, we drove to Baltimore to visit a farmer's market there. Our trip was filled with yummy treats including fresh homemade mini donuts, kettle corn, kosher dill pickles, and tamales. (We didn't consume everything in one sitting!) We also bought lots of vegetables to take home with us including broccoli, kale, cherry tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. We'll be doing lots of cooking this week before we head to Boston!

Our busy weekend required a little teamwork. Gavin proved to be a big helper by emptying the dishwasher one day and doing a little gardening the next.

Have a good week!

Sunday in the Country!

We had a terrific Sunday picking apples and pumpkins. Gavin was a very big helper. He insisted on picking his own apples and putting them in the cart for us. He also tried with all his might to rearrange the pumpkins at the farm. We saw some goats, a calf, and a very large pig.

On the way home, we visited a new park and rode on the carousel. Then mom baked an apple pie while dad got Gavin ready for bed. Gavin is hoping his dinner tonight includes apple pie for dessert!

Check out our photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=15ea5ixa.8u5ksdvq&x=0&y=4zqgzn&localeid=en_US and the video below.