Family Pictures 2014

We finally got our family pictures done so we can send out our Christmas cards. I had a fun time editing them!

Don't let that cute little Eva fool you. She was actually making this face for most of the pictures:

Haha…I'm glad a few turned out anyway. I love this little family of mine!

Beautiful, wonderful Virginia

I am in love with this state called Virginia! It is so picturesque with rolling green hills,

forest,

red brick buildings, historic sites,

plantations, blue ridge mountains

and everything in between. Charlottesville has just a hint of southern hospitality, enough to make the people some of the nicest friendliest people I have encountered (granted, some of this probably has to do with darling Eva).

The community here is also very family centered. There are tons of mom play groups and lots of nice parks to have said play groups. There are book clubs, babysitting co-ops and mom work out groups. There also is an entire magazine called "Charlottesville Family" that lists family friendly events each week.

The music scene is also wonderful. I am involved in the Ash Lawn Opera's production of Amahl and the Night Visitors which will be playing downtown in Charlottesville next week. I'm part of the chorus and I was very, VERY impressed with the quality of musicians that are in this community ensemble. I also have the opportunity out here to be in an 18 person religious choir. We meet at the largest Presbyterian church I have ever scene each Tuesday night and sing religious works by Rorem, Mendelssohn and others. It is fantastic and wonderfully challenging.

Let me just talk a minute now about the architecture! The homes out here are marvelous. I'm not just talking about the famous houses either. See the picture below:

This is a house we found on a walk on Sunday. Last night I went to an activity at a house that is as old as Monticello. It even has the original slave quarter stairs. It was a very neat house to explore. Earlier this year we also had dinner at a mansion on a 27 acre plot of land. Case and point, the houses out here are marvelous! 

I am grateful that I have been able to fall in love with Charlottesville so quickly. It is a wonderful place but it would be nothing if it weren't for these two.

Eva is 11 months!

11 months! I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday when we were looking forward to meeting our little lady and now she is almost a year old! New things she learned this month:

- She can stand up entirely on her own without any help
- She loves to climb the stairs
- She loves to pull anything off of bookshelves or tables
- She has learned to give kisses (so sweet)
- She loves to crawl around in circles for fun as fast as she can go
- We have a little game we play where if I get on the ground at her eye level she'll look at me and laugh and giggle as she crawls right up to my face and pushes her nose against mine. I love it.
- She loves to play the piano. When I teach lessons, she cries and cries until I hold her and let her play.
- She is a little climber. We used to put a chair in front of the stairs and in front of our bookcases, but she figured out how to climb over them.
- She absolutely LOVES to dance. She has great rhythm already and can move and clap to the beat
- She jumped from 3 teeth to 6 teeth this month

We love her so, SO much!